How Evolutionary Studies Enables People to Think Outside the Box

Using a variety of different and often provocative examples, this chapter illustrates how evolutionary theory can be used to think about things in new and sometimes even counterintuitive ways. Examples include how semen sampling may be an evolved mate-choice mechanism, why pubic hair removal may promote pedophilia, why we owe our existence to the moon, why the risk of conception is higher as a result of being raped, why bottle-feeding your previous child may put your next child at risk of becoming autistic, and why smart people are attracted to evolutionary studies. The chapter argues that evolutionary theory enables people to think about human behavior and human existence in ways that are outside the box.