The Evolutionary Biology of Rock and Roll

Rock 'n roll music lyrics are mostly about love, and of course love and mating are at the core of evolutionary biology.  It should not be surprising, therefore, that many of the classic rock songs illuminate key points of human evolutionary biology and strategies for reproductive success.  

The Evolutionary Biology of Rock and Roll:

Part I considers the question "Why is a 17-year old girl way beyond compare?"

Part II examines the display, deception and self-deception of Rock Swagger.

Part III asks "What does love feel like?", and indeed why should it feel like anything?

Why is Luxury Valuable?

We all like luxury items, but do we know why it makes us feel good?  Is it so we can display our status symbols? Does the brand matter?  Who is thinking about luxury and who doesn't care?  What will we give up for luxury?  Here is my survey of more than 1600 Americans concerning what they think about status, luxury and showing-off. Find the answers at Why is Luxury Valuable?

God Is Not Finished With Me Yet

We presume that evolution has crafted organisms perfectly suited to their environment, but in humans we have at least one glaring exception.  Women die in childbirth at alarming rates higher than any other animal, and in prehistory it was much, much worse.  Seemingly simple adaptations could avoid the slaughter.  The reason we haven't made use of them may surprise you.

The Human Brand - Evolution, Neuromarketing and Cosmetics

Beauty is big business - it is culturally universal, but at the same time its only for women, and only certain types of products.  To understand this business you need to understand The Human Brand - a hard-wired drive for beauty, built into our brains.  Take a look into the connection between evolution, the brain and beauty at The Human Brand.

Blogs and Essays

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Dan Yarosh

High Heel Shoes - Pornography for Women?

Women can have an obsessive interest in high heel shoes that far exceeds the interest of men in any of their shoes.  A recent exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art highlighted the craft of high heel shoes over the last several decades.  Why does this shoe style provoke such an attraction for women and attention of men?  Neuroscience and the vagaries of the brain offer an explanation.

FABULUST: The Natural History of Desire

The desire for FABULUST - fashion, beauty, luxury and style - is a universal but misunderstood human drive.  It is rooted in human evolutionary biology and is the purpose behind billions of dollars worth of luxury goods and services on the market today.  These are the decorations of The Human Brand.  Here is a brief review of why we like them, how we get them, who we show them to, and why businesses that focus on FABULUST will never fall from favor.