Possibly. In many species of birds, the female will mate with high quality males who are often not around b/c high quality males have many mating opportunities. The female then nests with a lower quality male who raises the young. I don't actually know if humans do this, b/c humans don't always fit the models.
Mitch Mitchell ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Dickens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2001 7:17 am Subject: Re: Disaster Raises Happiness, Trust > I think this is a good EP explanation for men, but there is a > problem with it as an explanation for women. I have to admit that > I don't know if women are aroused by stress as well, but from the > woman's perspective it would seem that her offspring would be most > likely to succeed if she waited for the guys to come back and then > picked from that bunch. They would presumably be a more fit sub- > sample of the original population and would be more likely to be > around to help provide for the children. - - Bill Dickens > > > William T. Dickens > The Brookings Institution > 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW > Washington, DC 20036 > Phone: (202) 797-6113 > FAX: (202) 797-6181 > E-MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > AOL IM: wtdickens > > >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 10/01/01 10:19PM >>> > With regard to Mr. Dickens' comment regarding whether stress > should cause > sexual arousal, I am tempted to think that evolutionary psychology > can > certainly explain this phenomenon. Early societies, according to > most models > of human development, used the males as hunters and warriors; > females were > gatherers. With this division of labor, males certainly incurred > the more > perilous part of the community's job. Before an important hunt or > major > battle, it is manifestly in the male's evolutionary favor to > become sexually > aroused; after all, this may be his genome's last chance to > reproduce itself! > Even if he dies in battle, his sex partners -- still safely at > home -- will > be able to bear his young. > >
