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Sperm Wars: the evolutionary cause of humans' complicated love lives

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Sep 8, 2009 6:35 AM
#1
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Aug 2008
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R. Robin Baker's _Sperm Wars_ is a popular science book that explains why humans have such confusing sex lives.

Why do humans engage in bisexuality, orgies, prostitution, rape, adultery, orgasms, private masturbation (but public condemnation of masturbation), and marriage?



The most important theme of the book is the biological usefulness of infidelity.


Bisexuality is a favorable adaptation if it is rare in a community.


Both male and female masturbation have profound impacts on fertility.


The instinct to perform oral sex occurs in many animal species because it tends to improve the chance of having viable children.


More primitive animals, such as lions, deal with infidelity in a straightforward manner.



The human female reproductive system is an environment evolved to serve as a battleground for competing armies of sperm.


http://www.amazon.com/Sperm-Wars-Infidelity-Conflict-Bedroom/dp/1560258489


See also:
Human sperm competition: ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation
Animal Behaviour, Volume 46, Issue 5, November 1993, Pages 861-885
R. Robin Baker, Mark A. Bellis

Human sperm competition: ejaculate manipulation by females and a function for the female orgasm
Animal Behaviour, Volume 46, Issue 5, November 1993, Pages 887-909
R. Robin Baker, Mark A. Bellis

How shocked did I feel when I read this book about the centrality of infidelity to human sexual instincts?
formosanSep 9, 2009 8:50 AM
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Sep 8, 2009 8:21 AM
#2

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Jan 2008
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It is not enough for humans to have multiple sex partners. The humans who have multiple sex partners openly gain no reproductive advantage.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Care to explain why?


Also, it sounds very Lamarckian, all that. "Humans commit adultery because many of our ancestors who did so had more viable children than people who did not" in particular.
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Sep 8, 2009 8:25 AM
#3

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Dec 2007
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tl;dr

It's a lie, the fault is of the Glans of Love. Now, which glans I am referring to may have to do with sperm or not.
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori
Sep 8, 2009 10:29 AM
#4

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Dec 2007
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Humans commit adultery because many of our ancestors who did so had more viable children than people who did not. Substitute almost any practice (e.g. rape, murder of step-children, orgies, bisexuality, prostitution, etc.) for "adultery" and the previous sentence is still true (according to Baker). Homosexuality is an exception; while a bisexual minority has a reproductive advantage, homosexuals do not.


I feel this is completely wrong, back in the days (and in current times too), adultery was committed in order to have high psychological impact (and just for the mere fun of it).
Sep 8, 2009 4:07 PM
#5

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May 2009
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My seduction skills are fucking awesome.

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Sep 8, 2009 4:13 PM
#6

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Jul 2008
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Sex is everywhere...
Sep 8, 2009 5:31 PM
#7

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Feb 2009
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R. Robin Baker is clearly a fucking idiot, a published fucking idiot, but an idiot all the same.
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At least I can go see her in concert.
Sep 8, 2009 7:59 PM
#8
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Aug 2008
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Kaisereddie said:
It is not enough for humans to have multiple sex partners. The humans who have multiple sex partners openly gain no reproductive advantage.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Care to explain why?


It's an oversimplified summary of a 300+ page book. If you want a good explanation, read the book.

Briefly, humans who know their partners have other partners will adjust their behaviors.



ladyxzeus said:
tl;dr



That means you missed the joke at the end. Your loss.



Chavez said:
Humans commit adultery because...


I feel this is completely wrong, back in the days (and in current times too), adultery was committed in order to have high psychological impact (and just for the mere fun of it).


I'm summarizing Baker's book, which was more than 300 pages long. Yes, I oversimplified, and yes Baker is not above criticism. But if you feel she's wrong, read the book. Other critics have called her overly reductionistic, and you would probably agree with that, judging from your insight regarding motivations for adultery. Even though you might end up disagreeing with her, I think you'll agree that her book is fascinating, if only for the effort it takes to rebut it.

Sukunai said:
R. Robin Baker is clearly a fucking idiot...


Then it's too bad she's got more fame and influence than you are likely to get in your entire life.

This is the problem with society. All the people who know what's best, like Sukunai, are too busy complaining, and all the idiots are too busy getting tenure and publishing papers...

CDRW said:
Wait a second, what happened to my posts? At least one of them was completely on topic.


If you posted several times in one thread without waiting a while between, the moderators may have removed some of the posts. Recently I got a PM from a mod that I was unnecessarily inflating my post count. Now I try to summarize several responses into one post. I don't know, however, whether there was a mod involved, or if this was a technical glitch in the software.
formosanSep 8, 2009 8:08 PM
Sep 8, 2009 8:04 PM
#9

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Apr 2009
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Wait a second, what happened to my posts? At least one of them was completely on topic.
This is a serious post. You're not allowed to delete it.
Sep 8, 2009 8:13 PM

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Aug 2009
361
She covered the topic of adultery realistically but the promotion of it is just wrong. Fidelity of a couple is one thing that leads to a good marriage and this aspect leads to other things like trust etc. Deception is the worst form in any type of relationship. If the summary of the infedility topic is true in essence then it is wrong. Facts, yes but should have covered it more leniently, not as if she is promoting that aspect.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny
- Lao-Tze.

Sep 8, 2009 8:17 PM

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May 2009
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See also:
Human sperm competition: ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation
Human sperm competition: ejaculate manipulation by females and a function for the female orgasm
See also:

Major anime source and community: http://www.anivoid.com Join now =P
YOU DON'T HAVE THE GUTS =P
Sep 8, 2009 9:47 PM

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Feb 2009
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Stephen Jay Gould said it better than I could ever hope to, so I'm not going to even bother paraphrasing.

Stephen Jay Gould said:
Evolutionary psychology could, in my view, become a fruitful science by replacing its current penchant for narrow, and often barren, speculation with respect for the pluralistic range of available alternatives that are just as evolutionary in status, more probable in actual occurrence, and not limited to the blinkered view that evolutionary explanations must identify adaptation produced by natural selection.


That pretty much sums up my opinion on the matter.
MalapharosSep 8, 2009 9:52 PM
Sep 9, 2009 5:52 AM
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the thing about early man and adultery. Back in ye olde days really before man was even building cities but living in little huts and caves. women had no rights. There for leaders and stronger men would have multiple women to spread his seed too. (which makes sense. A man can go on giving kids to fertile women. But a woman once pregnant must carry the child to term. so in the time the baby is growing in that woman. The male can impregnating others. Seems a bit sick now. But back in ancient times there were very few humans and high infant mortality.

the Romans also enjoyed massive orgies in the bath houses and such.

Likewise for males masturbation and sex is good for the body. Removes old sperm andcarcinogens from the prostate. (although there are some conflicting studies on this. One says its better and one says its worse.)
Sep 9, 2009 6:18 AM

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Sep 2009
63
Well, personally, I think sex and monogamy differs on everybody's own nature and surroundings. Sperms are one of the factors that affect a person's sexual nature but there are a lot of other factors to be taken into consideration.

The factors usually include where you live, your culture, your parents, influence of friends, your exposure to porn and sex. Of course these aren't the only factors, it could go on and on for a long time.

But the evolutionary cause of humans' complicated love lives...I'm a little doubtful that its the 'evolutionary' cause.
Sep 9, 2009 7:39 AM

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Feb 2005
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Killy_Zouichi said:
She covered the topic of adultery realistically but the promotion of it is just wrong.
How come?

And I'd hardly classify that summary as being promotional.
Sep 9, 2009 8:47 AM
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Aug 2008
638
Mighty wall o' text #1



MWoT 2


MWoT3



Wait, has the link to the most important part of the post been moved? I had thought that I tested the img tags in the original post and that they worked. Is sankaku blocked as an image host?


Q:
How shocked did I feel when I read this book about the centrality of infidelity to human sexual instincts?

A:
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/wp-content/gallery/neko-moe-gallery/nekogallery-42.jpg
formosanSep 9, 2009 8:58 AM
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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