Sexual selection and the evolution of altruism: males are more altruistic and cooperative towards attractive females

Manpal Singh Bhogal; Niall Galbraith; Ken Manktelow

doi:10.5178/lebs.2016.42

Manpal Singh Bhogal 1 Coventry University Department of Psychology, School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, United Kingdom 2 University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology
Niall Galbraith University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Mary Seacole Building, Nursery St., Wolverhampton, WV1 1AD, United Kingdom
Ken Manktelow University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Mary Seacole Building, Nursery St., Wolverhampton, WV1 1AD, United Kingdom

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5178/lebs.2016.42

Keywords: altruism, cooperation, sexual selection, sexual intention

Abstract

Explaining altruism through an evolutionary lens has been a challenge for evolutionary theorists. Where altruism towards kin is well understood through kin selection, altruism towards non-kin is an evolutionary puzzle. Contemporary research has found that, through a game-theoretic framework, sexual selection could be an explanation for the evolution of altruism. Research suggests that males are more altruistic towards females they are interested in engaging with, sexually or romantically when distributing stakes in economic games. This study, adopting a between-groups design, tested the sexual selection explanation for altruism by asking participants to self-report altruistic and cooperative intention when reading moral scenarios accompanied by attractive or unattractive images. We find that participants, particularly males, report being more altruistic and cooperative when viewing an attractive image of a female. This study replicates the sexual selection hypothesis in explaining altruism through an alternative experimental framework to game theory.

Author Biographies

Manpal Singh Bhogal, 1 Coventry University Department of Psychology, School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, United Kingdom 2 University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology

Manpal Singh Bhogal is an assistant Lecturer in Psychology at Coventry University with a keen research interest in evolutionary psychology. He is interested in applying game-theoretic methods when measuring altruism and cooperation.

He is also completing his PhD at the University of Wolverhampton where he is focussing on the influence of physical attractiveness on cooperative behavior.

Niall Galbraith, University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Mary Seacole Building, Nursery St., Wolverhampton, WV1 1AD, United Kingdom

Niall is a senior lecturer in Psychology and undergraduate course director at the University of Wolverhampton.

Ken Manktelow, University of Wolverhampton Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Mary Seacole Building, Nursery St., Wolverhampton, WV1 1AD, United Kingdom

Ken is a emeritus professor at the University of Wolverhampton. Ken’s primary research interests lie in the psychology of thinking, reasoning and rationality.