PSYC 3100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Red Queen Hypothesis, Major Histocompatibility Complex, Genetic Load
20 Mar 2013
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Document Summary
Red queen hypothesis: sexual reproduction to outrun parasites & pathogens: adaptations for perceiving things as beautiful. Direct & indirect benefits for mating with specific individuals: choosing compatible genes. Preference for mhc dissimilarity (major histocompatibility complex: influence of pathogens & parasites. Preferences for these traits increasing while ovulating. Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do just to stay in the same place . Must keep co-evolving to stay ahead of the pathogens and parasites. If we stop running, they will take over because they"ve adapted to our immune system) Beauty is in the adaptation of the beholder - don symons. Attractiveness is not just a feature of the stimulus, but also the perceiver. We find things attractive because they are cues of fitness relevant traits/characteristics (cues of direct/indirect benefits) Analogy: the taste that we find appealing and disgusting are related to fitness-relevant concerns.
