We’ve all heard the phrase, “gambling with your life” – but what if you’re actually gambling with your genes? That’s the question evolutionary psychology tries to answer. With the aim of understanding why living organisms behave the way they do, evolutionary psychology seeks to explain how the natural world has shaped our decision-making processes, which includes how risk-taking influences our behavior. In this article, we’ll explore the evolutionary psychology of decision-making and risk-taking and what it means for our everyday lives.
How Does Evolutionary Psychology Affect Decision Making?
At its core, evolutionary psychology seeks to answer why and how humans behave the way they do. This means looking at the psychological processes that have been passed down through our species’ genetic history, from millennia ago when our ancestors lived in tribes, up to the present day.
According to evolutionary psychology, decisions we make usually serve to maximize the potential for survival and reproduction in our environment. At a basic level, this means that we are evolutionary ‘hardwired’ to make decisions with the intention of achieving what will be best for our individual selves. We want to do what we can to ensure that our genes will remain in the phylogenetic branch for as long as possible.
What is the Relationship Between Decision Making and Risk Taking?
A key component of decision-making is risk-taking. Naturally, risk-taking comes with the potential for rewards and risks. The degree of risk-taking that is taken depends on what sensors are triggered by our environment and how our ancestors have reacted in similar situations in the past.
In evolutionary terms, risk-taking has often been the key to growth, success and the survival of our species. To a large degree, risk-taking has made us who we are today. As Jonathan Haidt expresses on the Science of Morality, “Taking risks is part of being alive, and part of being biologically successful in competitive environments.”
Simply put, taking risks is how humans have evolved over millennia and it’s hardwired into our brains.
Is Risk Taking Evolutionary?
Yes, risk-taking is absolutely an evolutionary process. We live and make decisions in an environment where survival requires taking risks, such as putting in the effort necessary to hunt, gathering food and finding shelter.
The most successful of us are those who have had the biggest appetite for risk in the context of the environment and have made decisions that have allowed us to take advantage of small changes and shifts that provide profit or benefit. In other words, risk is evolution in action.
What Is The Theory Of Evolutionary Psychology?
Evolutionary psychology seeks to explain why certain behaviors remain consistent across the generations. It does so by looking at evolution and changes that have occurred over time.
The field of evolutionary psychology is based on the notion that all living organisms, including humans, are shaped by evolution, and as such, behavioral patterns, thought processes, and decision-making abilities are all based on the same evolutionary principles that have guided our species since the dawn of mankind.
The primary theory behind evolutionary psychology is that the environment in which we live largely dictates the evolutionary path of our species, with changes in the environment resulting in changes in the way humans act, think, and make decisions. In other words, humans have evolved as a species in an effort to maximize our chances for survival and reproduction.
Conclusion
Evolutionary psychology provides a framework for understanding why and how humans make decisions, including risk-taking. Working within this framework, humans strive to maximize their survival and reproductive potential, which has been hardwired into our brains over thousands of years.
The field of evolutionary psychology is based on the notion that changes in the environment can result in changes in the behavior and decision-making of a species, and humans’ risk-taking tendencies are evidence of our evolutionary path. This means that when making decisions, it’s important to weigh all the factors at play and make decisions that both minimize risk and maximize our potential for passing on our genes.
References
Haidt, Jonathan. (2012). “The Science of Morality”. Retrieved from www2.psych.ubc.ca/~haidt/jhaidt.htm