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Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)
Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner's Guide
Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner’s Guide is a uniquely accessible yet comprehensive guide to the study of the effects of evolutionary theory on human behaviour. Written specifically for the general reader, and for entry-level students, it covers all the most important elements of this interdisciplinary subject, from the role of evolution in our selection of partner, to the influence of genetics on parenting. The book draws widely on examples, case studies and background facts to convey a substantial amount of information, and is authored by the UK’s leading experts in the field, from the only dedicated research and teaching institute.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2005
62 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
About the author
Robin I.M. Dunbar
36 books264 followersRobin Ian MacDonald Dunbar FBA FRAI is a British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour.
Dunbar's academic and research career includes the University of Bristol, University of Cambridge from 1977 until 1982, and University College London from 1987 until 1994. In 1994, Dunbar became Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Liverpool, but he left Liverpool in 2007 to take up the post of Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford.
Dunbar's academic and research career includes the University of Bristol, University of Cambridge from 1977 until 1982, and University College London from 1987 until 1994. In 1994, Dunbar became Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Liverpool, but he left Liverpool in 2007 to take up the post of Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 19, 2020
Very nice introduction to evolutionary psychology but bare in mind that some of the studies presented in the book are abit outdated. Especially neurological and genom based studies are much more advanced right now but it doesn’t render this source as useless! It has great combination of sources that you can not find together in anywhere else.
December 16, 2020
I wasn't sure how to shelve this book. Can anyone tell me where psychology belongs -in the natural or social sciences? The book didn't tell me that ;-)
On a more serious note, the book does do what is says on the cover: it's a great introduction for beginners. Accessible but not dumbed down. I learnt loads. Very pleased with this purchase.
On a more serious note, the book does do what is says on the cover: it's a great introduction for beginners. Accessible but not dumbed down. I learnt loads. Very pleased with this purchase.
May 12, 2021
3,5 stars
March 23, 2024
The book is twenty years old, written in an academic style and spends a lot of time discussing disagreements within the scientific community at the expense of time on actual results.
May 17, 2021
Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner's Guide was a decent introduction to the subject.
Co-author Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar is a British anthropologist, evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour. He is currently head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, a measurement of the "cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships".
Robin Dunbar:
Not wasting any time by giving the reader a primer to the topic in its early pages, the authors jump right in. The writing here is fairly technical right from the get-go. They employ liberal usage of evolutionary jargon early on without explaining it to the unfamiliar reader. They rattle off terms like fitness, proximate vs ultimate causation, determinism, adaptive, maladaptive, and others; not offering any explanations to the naive reader. Although I and many others will likely be familiar with this jargon, this book is marketed as a "beginner's guide." The authors should have spent a bit more time familiarizing the reader with these terms. Points knocked off for this glaring ommission.
The authors caution against genetic determinism in the intro of the book, mentioning gene/environment interactions are both responsible for behaviour. They analogize behaviour to the baking of a cake: what makes the cake a "cake" is not just the ingredients, or the preparation, but rather - a combination of all the ingredients and preparation methods that went into its production.
The authors debate the concept of group-level selection, mentioning that many evolutionary biologists discounted this theory as early as the 60s'.
They do mention the work of fellow evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson. In 1994, Wilson and Elliott Sober argued for multi-level selection, including group selection, on the grounds that groups, like individuals, could compete. In 2010 three authors including E. O. Wilson, known for his work on social insects especially ants, again revisited the arguments for group selection.
Religion is a good example of group-level selection. The American evolutionary biologist Brett Weinstein speaks about this topic with great clarity. Briefly; religion confers group-level benefits to society in the forms of increased social cohesion, and facilitates the completion of complex, multi-person tasks and goals.
Although seemingly discounting the concept of group-level selection in the early part of the book, they revisit the concept in the latter part, and talk about religion being a good example of group-level selection, writing:
Unfortunately, I found much of the writing here to be overly dry. The book reads somewhat like a textbook, or long-form encyclopedia article. The authors write in a rather detached, matter-of-fact, no-frills manner. A somewhat tragically typical example of British academic prose, I've noticed...
Some of the other topics covered here by the authors include:
* Language; Steven Pinker and Noam Chomsky are mentioned.
* Altruism; kin selection.
* Inborn human wiring; the studies of babies are talked about, as well as the onset of theory of mind.
* Mate selection; male vs. female preferences are talked about.
* Parental investment; male vs female. Infanticide is also covered.
* Historical human social groups and societies; the inborn pro-social wring of people.
* Dunbar's number; friendships, and other social circles.
* Grooming in monkeys and apes.
* Intentionality, language and culture; people's conformity bias is talked about.
* The roles of religion and story-telling to society.
* The evolutionary role of gossip in social cohesion, norm enforcement, and the free-rider problem.
*************
Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner's Guide was an interesting read, but not the most engaging look at what is otherwise an extremely interesting field of study.
3.5 stars.
Co-author Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar is a British anthropologist, evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour. He is currently head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, a measurement of the "cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships".
Robin Dunbar:
Not wasting any time by giving the reader a primer to the topic in its early pages, the authors jump right in. The writing here is fairly technical right from the get-go. They employ liberal usage of evolutionary jargon early on without explaining it to the unfamiliar reader. They rattle off terms like fitness, proximate vs ultimate causation, determinism, adaptive, maladaptive, and others; not offering any explanations to the naive reader. Although I and many others will likely be familiar with this jargon, this book is marketed as a "beginner's guide." The authors should have spent a bit more time familiarizing the reader with these terms. Points knocked off for this glaring ommission.
The authors caution against genetic determinism in the intro of the book, mentioning gene/environment interactions are both responsible for behaviour. They analogize behaviour to the baking of a cake: what makes the cake a "cake" is not just the ingredients, or the preparation, but rather - a combination of all the ingredients and preparation methods that went into its production.
The authors debate the concept of group-level selection, mentioning that many evolutionary biologists discounted this theory as early as the 60s'.
They do mention the work of fellow evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson. In 1994, Wilson and Elliott Sober argued for multi-level selection, including group selection, on the grounds that groups, like individuals, could compete. In 2010 three authors including E. O. Wilson, known for his work on social insects especially ants, again revisited the arguments for group selection.
Religion is a good example of group-level selection. The American evolutionary biologist Brett Weinstein speaks about this topic with great clarity. Briefly; religion confers group-level benefits to society in the forms of increased social cohesion, and facilitates the completion of complex, multi-person tasks and goals.
Although seemingly discounting the concept of group-level selection in the early part of the book, they revisit the concept in the latter part, and talk about religion being a good example of group-level selection, writing:
"Given the overwhelming importance of the free-rider problem, we can view religion as a communal attempt to coerce individuals into adhering to the implicit social contract which underpins all societies – the anthropologists are right but for the wrong reason. Religion (and, by extension, story-telling) plays a crucial role in creating a sense of community and bondedness. That effect acts for the benefit of the members, through a grouplevel effect, because the members of well-bonded groups have higher fitness than those of poorly bonded groups, making religion a trait that has been selected at the group level. Religion and story-telling are particularly good candidates for group-level selection because they tend to reduce variability between the individuals within groups (since they all come to share the same values and beliefs) and increase variability between groups (which will have different stories and rituals), thereby helping to make the process more powerful..."
Unfortunately, I found much of the writing here to be overly dry. The book reads somewhat like a textbook, or long-form encyclopedia article. The authors write in a rather detached, matter-of-fact, no-frills manner. A somewhat tragically typical example of British academic prose, I've noticed...
Some of the other topics covered here by the authors include:
* Language; Steven Pinker and Noam Chomsky are mentioned.
* Altruism; kin selection.
* Inborn human wiring; the studies of babies are talked about, as well as the onset of theory of mind.
* Mate selection; male vs. female preferences are talked about.
* Parental investment; male vs female. Infanticide is also covered.
* Historical human social groups and societies; the inborn pro-social wring of people.
* Dunbar's number; friendships, and other social circles.
* Grooming in monkeys and apes.
* Intentionality, language and culture; people's conformity bias is talked about.
* The roles of religion and story-telling to society.
* The evolutionary role of gossip in social cohesion, norm enforcement, and the free-rider problem.
*************
Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner's Guide was an interesting read, but not the most engaging look at what is otherwise an extremely interesting field of study.
3.5 stars.
May 11, 2014
I can't encounter this material, no mater how dryly written, and not be changed. Evo-psych is just so damned powerful. I literally can't get enough of it. That being said. This book is brilliant by default, and seemingly boring by design. What ever. Even if it's not exactly a thriller. The material is so strong and thought provoking that it's 100% worth reading (or listening if you have the audiobook).
October 31, 2023
主流进化心理学的优点和缺点
目前主流的进化心理学的最严重缺陷，在于它的基础假设：方法论个人主义。这个基础假设的参照点是现代工业社会，然而进化心理学的研究者却试图从原始游猎社会中找到证据，这里就混进了很大的穿凿附会的成分，让普通读者难辨真假。最要命的是，在搜集证据上的这个偏向让整个论证过程成了一个隐蔽的循环论证：从过去找与现在相似的痕迹，然后又反过来说人性亘古不变，自古以来就是如此。但是，古代是否就真是这样？就真的和现在那么相似？这是大可怀疑的。而且别忘了鲁迅在狂人日记里说过：从来如此，便对么？
这个基础假设导致的结果就是，与主流的新古典主义经济学还有过去曾经流行一时的功能主义社会学一样，都有意无意地试图证明个体竞争、弱肉强食的社会现实是合理的、历来如此的、不可改变的。这个导向夸张到什么程度呢？在这些理论家眼里，合作和帮助别人的行为反而成了一个不合常理的事情、一个需要解释其正当性的问题。因此，其结论必然是呼应右派的、保守主义的政治观点的。比如，这本小册子反复宣称人类社会自古以来面临的最主要问题是“搭便车”（偷懒）。生态破坏问题、资源争夺问题、等级压迫问题等等似乎从来不存在一样。这种社会观点，大概只有斤斤计较的小心眼或者视员工为敌的老板才会相信吧！
更深层次看，英美的重视个人的哲学传统和欧陆的重视整体的哲学传统又一次在这里得到了体现：自然选择理论（“适者生存”）的奠基人是英国人达尔文和马尔萨斯，而社会学和人类学的奠基人则出自德国（马克思、韦伯）和法国（涂尔干、托克维尔）。作者在这本小册子里反复声明，个体才是自然选择的基本单位，这才是达尔文以来的正统，而涂尔干开创的群体选择的理论已经被推翻了，但是，除了反复声明之外，作者并没有给出可信的论证。
目前主流的进化心理学的第二个严重缺陷是，在证据链上缺失了关键的一环：影响人的行为习惯的基因到底在哪里？如何对大脑起作用？由于缺少这一关键证据，所以只能用一刀切的功能主义逻辑（生存者必适应），加上事后诸葛亮的倒推法来强行完成论证：某种机能或器官越是复杂、代价越大，必然就有越大的好处，不然早就被淘汰了。这完全是误用了“奥卡姆剃刀”的原则，是一种智力上的懒惰。
当然，坚持用考古学、脑科学实验、行为科学实验等方法得来的证据，这符合现代科学的方法论：大胆假设，小心求证。可惜基础假设走得太偏，而且私有观念太重，所以再怎么求证，结果也仍然跳不出“人不为己天诛地灭”的结论。这个结论在求偶和繁殖的行为上有很强的解释力，但如果要像进化心理学那样，把它应用到人类行为的一切方面，就显得比较勉强了。
这里的关键在于，本质上利己的不是个人，而是基因。个人虽然是基因的载体，但基因并不能决定个人的行为，尤其是通过后天学习而获得的行为习惯。而且个人必须依靠社会里的其他人才能生存繁衍，个人和群体的关系是共生共存的关系，个人的利己不可能是没有限制的，尤其在数百万年的小团体游猎生活中，群体的重要性很可能大于个人：皮之不存毛将焉附？只是到了目前的现代工业社会中，利己的个人似乎更有利于基因的传递。在那时的情况更可能是，即使存在同类之间的竞争，也主要是以团体为单位而进行的，而不是像今天这样，主要是在个人的层面上进行生存资源的竞争，以致于仍然怀有原始心灵的现代人不得不去团队型体育竞赛中重温旧梦，获得那份原始的满足感。
总的来说，进化心理学的应用是有局限性的，它的主要解释范围应该是几百万年的演化过程中没有发生变化、而且一般在心理无意识的层面上自动处理的那部分行为，而不是像一些鼓吹者那样，试图解释人类行为的一切方面。那么，哪些东西几百万年来没有发生变化、哪些东西仍然很难进入有意识的反思？算来算去也只有基本的生物学功能了：新陈代谢，繁殖后代。即使在这些基本方面，社会文化的影响仍然是巨大的，就像在以胖为美（古代的唐朝、现代的汤加国）和以瘦为美（大多数现代工业社会）这两种截然相反的审美标准背后，是两种截然不同的社会：女性主要在家劳动的农业社会和女性主要离家劳动的工业社会。
目前主流的进化心理学的最严重缺陷，在于它的基础假设：方法论个人主义。这个基础假设的参照点是现代工业社会，然而进化心理学的研究者却试图从原始游猎社会中找到证据，这里就混进了很大的穿凿附会的成分，让普通读者难辨真假。最要命的是，在搜集证据上的这个偏向让整个论证过程成了一个隐蔽的循环论证：从过去找与现在相似的痕迹，然后又反过来说人性亘古不变，自古以来就是如此。但是，古代是否就真是这样？就真的和现在那么相似？这是大可怀疑的。而且别忘了鲁迅在狂人日记里说过：从来如此，便对么？
这个基础假设导致的结果就是，与主流的新古典主义经济学还有过去曾经流行一时的功能主义社会学一样，都有意无意地试图证明个体竞争、弱肉强食的社会现实是合理的、历来如此的、不可改变的。这个导向夸张到什么程度呢？在这些理论家眼里，合作和帮助别人的行为反而成了一个不合常理的事情、一个需要解释其正当性的问题。因此，其结论必然是呼应右派的、保守主义的政治观点的。比如，这本小册子反复宣称人类社会自古以来面临的最主要问题是“搭便车”（偷懒）。生态破坏问题、资源争夺问题、等级压迫问题等等似乎从来不存在一样。这种社会观点，大概只有斤斤计较的小心眼或者视员工为敌的老板才会相信吧！
更深层次看，英美的重视个人的哲学传统和欧陆的重视整体的哲学传统又一次在这里得到了体现：自然选择理论（“适者生存”）的奠基人是英国人达尔文和马尔萨斯，而社会学和人类学的奠基人则出自德国（马克思、韦伯）和法国（涂尔干、托克维尔）。作者在这本小册子里反复声明，个体才是自然选择的基本单位，这才是达尔文以来的正统，而涂尔干开创的群体选择的理论已经被推翻了，但是，除了反复声明之外，作者并没有给出可信的论证。
目前主流的进化心理学的第二个严重缺陷是，在证据链上缺失了关键的一环：影响人的行为习惯的基因到底在哪里？如何对大脑起作用？由于缺少这一关键证据，所以只能用一刀切的功能主义逻辑（生存者必适应），加上事后诸葛亮的倒推法来强行完成论证：某种机能或器官越是复杂、代价越大，必然就有越大的好处，不然早就被淘汰了。这完全是误用了“奥卡姆剃刀”的原则，是一种智力上的懒惰。
当然，坚持用考古学、脑科学实验、行为科学实验等方法得来的证据，这符合现代科学的方法论：大胆假设，小心求证。可惜基础假设走得太偏，而且私有观念太重，所以再怎么求证，结果也仍然跳不出“人不为己天诛地灭”的结论。这个结论在求偶和繁殖的行为上有很强的解释力，但如果要像进化心理学那样，把它应用到人类行为的一切方面，就显得比较勉强了。
这里的关键在于，本质上利己的不是个人，而是基因。个人虽然是基因的载体，但基因并不能决定个人的行为，尤其是通过后天学习而获得的行为习惯。而且个人必须依靠社会里的其他人才能生存繁衍，个人和群体的关系是共生共存的关系，个人的利己不可能是没有限制的，尤其在数百万年的小团体游猎生活中，群体的重要性很可能大于个人：皮之不存毛将焉附？只是到了目前的现代工业社会中，利己的个人似乎更有利于基因的传递。在那时的情况更可能是，即使存在同类之间的竞争，也主要是以团体为单位而进行的，而不是像今天这样，主要是在个人的层面上进行生存资源的竞争，以致于仍然怀有原始心灵的现代人不得不去团队型体育竞赛中重温旧梦，获得那份原始的满足感。
总的来说，进化心理学的应用是有局限性的，它的主要解释范围应该是几百万年的演化过程中没有发生变化、而且一般在心理无意识的层面上自动处理的那部分行为，而不是像一些鼓吹者那样，试图解释人类行为的一切方面。那么，哪些东西几百万年来没有发生变化、哪些东西仍然很难进入有意识的反思？算来算去也只有基本的生物学功能了：新陈代谢，繁殖后代。即使在这些基本方面，社会文化的影响仍然是巨大的，就像在以胖为美（古代的唐朝、现代的汤加国）和以瘦为美（大多数现代工业社会）这两种截然相反的审美标准背后，是两种截然不同的社会：女性主要在家劳动的农业社会和女性主要离家劳动的工业社会。
May 23, 2019
It's a bit hard to rate this. All the science is good and well explained. But it doesn't feel fresh and fun to read.
Pro:
The science is good. It's basic psychology and it's a really great intro to psychology overall. The EP part is good, but it's not deep so mostly it reads like a really well written intro to general psychology without going into the harder EP science that often feels like hard science compared to most psychology. As a general psychology intro it's pretty much perfect. As EP intro it's a bit light and dry.
Con:
It's not super in-depth, but it's not joking, fun or personal either. So it doesn't have this accessible writing style to it. It's written like a simple intro to psychology as a whole, but it finds itself not being great for beginners who just want to read for fun. Nor is it great for people who know all there is the know about EP.
Basically it's a great and very well written intro. But I would strongly recommend a longer and more in-depth EP book. They can be extremely accessible already.
Pro:
The science is good. It's basic psychology and it's a really great intro to psychology overall. The EP part is good, but it's not deep so mostly it reads like a really well written intro to general psychology without going into the harder EP science that often feels like hard science compared to most psychology. As a general psychology intro it's pretty much perfect. As EP intro it's a bit light and dry.
Con:
It's not super in-depth, but it's not joking, fun or personal either. So it doesn't have this accessible writing style to it. It's written like a simple intro to psychology as a whole, but it finds itself not being great for beginners who just want to read for fun. Nor is it great for people who know all there is the know about EP.
Basically it's a great and very well written intro. But I would strongly recommend a longer and more in-depth EP book. They can be extremely accessible already.
December 12, 2022
Evo psych is one of my favorite topics to read, and for some reason, people are always talking smack about it or just flat out hate it. I often have to debate with people about it, so I wanted to brush up on my knowledge from some of the best in the field like Robin Dunbar. This book gives you all the basics about evo psych, dives into a ton of research that helps explain human behavior, and if you’re like me, it’ll give you some ammunition when debating with evo psych haters.
May 21, 2024
Provided a very accessible introduction to key areas in evolutionary psychology. The introduction in the book does a good job of explaining what evolutionary psych is and isn't, as it is a very controversial field, and the chapters are short but sweet. I found some chapters more interesting than others but this was due to a personal bias for things regarding language and cultural evolution.
September 29, 2024
This is really worth reading for those who want to understand human behaviour. It's especially useful for illuminating the real nature of male-female relations, and it will cure those who have swallowed whole the frankly ludicrous -- and wholly unscientific -- narrative that so many women have latched onto in the past few years.
March 3, 2020
Emotions!
Ever felt jealous? Ever wondered why?
It is related to the reason why male lions kill the cubs of a female they want to mate with.
Of course you are not a feline, you are a... primate! But you are a mammal too. 😉
Ever felt jealous? Ever wondered why?
It is related to the reason why male lions kill the cubs of a female they want to mate with.
Of course you are not a feline, you are a... primate! But you are a mammal too. 😉
August 31, 2021
Interesting and has a lot of new terminology and concepts. Content heavy but explained pretty well. Found myself highlighting quite a lot on my kindle. Purchased to improve essay content and should provide useful.
January 29, 2020
Brief but interesting
September 1, 2020
The whole concept the book is reaching for seems made up and lacks a foundation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2022
A short but fascinating intro into evolutionary psychology and how a modern evolutionary approach can explain many aspects of human behaviour.
November 6, 2022
A very good update for the layman that serves to raise above the internet debate that misrepresents the subject.
February 7, 2023
A good and short overview of different aspects of Evolutionary Psychology from male/female differences, how religion evolved and the science of morality.
March 15, 2017
Eye opening
Having just finished this book I feel much more informed. And, I am also sure that this is not just an illusion. The arguments are made in a clear (MA Thesis) manner which not only opens up the subject to further reading, but is also an excellent example for MA students on how to deliver their work. Double Good.
Having just finished this book I feel much more informed. And, I am also sure that this is not just an illusion. The arguments are made in a clear (MA Thesis) manner which not only opens up the subject to further reading, but is also an excellent example for MA students on how to deliver their work. Double Good.
August 29, 2011
As far as beginner's guides go, this is pretty good. The information is accessible without being dumbed down. It gave me the insight I was looking for for, but nothing too mind-blowing or inspiring, and it still felt like reading a textbook. The part I really appreciated was at the end, where the Naturalistic Fallacy, ethics and human morality were discussed really intelligently. I would've expected a "Beginner's Guide" to use the Naturalistic Fallacy to write off the subject of morality. Instead, they criticize scientists who do just that and open the issue up. Overall it's a pretty smart introduction, easy enough to read and got me thinking.
February 23, 2013
The first two chapters where not exactly easy going for a beginners guide type publication, but this was not representative of the rest of the book which read quite well,although at times it was a little inconsistent and some explanations became unclear in badly written paragraphs, but this did not detract from the overall understanding too much.The subjects covered include interactive development,instinct,language,religion and morality among others and reference recent findings and experimental data to back up the text.Overall a good introduction to the subject even if you're familiar with modern popular science writing.
January 28, 2016
Good info
did-not-finish
November 9, 2017not a book for me and read too slowly. I was falling asleep
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