Some things that we do seem to be maladaptive (think about skydiving, drug abuse

Question

Some things that we do seem to be maladaptive (think about skydiving, drug abuse, and collecting classic cars). Some people would argue that these behaviors provide evidence that natural selection has no important impact on modern humans. Is this a reasonable argument? Why or why not? Some things that we do seem to be maladaptive (think about skydiving, drug abuse, and collecting classic cars). Some people would argue that these behaviors provide evidence that natural selection has no important impact on modern humans. Is this a reasonable argument? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

Darwin's theory of natural selection is the process by which nature selects those individuals who are better adapted to their environments with survival and reproductive success. It literally means survival of the fittest. Natural selection is still occuring in humans at a subtle pace. The example for natural selection is the adaptability and increased ability to digest and metabolise a new food which we were not taking few years ago.

Researchers in the field of Human Behavioural Ecology, Evolutionary Psychology and Cultural Evolution agree that evolutionary theory can be applied to the study of human behaviour. Maladaptive behavior will lead to negative natural selection. Evolutionary psychologists emphasize that the cognitive processes allow information to be reconstructed in the receiver’s mind while cultural evolutionists point to the evidence that psychological mechanisms favour relatively accurate information transmission, even when such information is arbitrary or maladaptive.

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