The ancestral logic of politics: upper-body strength regulates men's assertion of self-interest over economic redistribution.
Psychol Sci
; 24(7): 1098-103, 2013 Jul 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23670886
ABSTRACT
Over human evolutionary history, upper-body strength has been a major component of fighting ability. Evolutionary models of animal conflict predict that actors with greater fighting ability will more actively attempt to acquire or defend resources than less formidable contestants will. Here, we applied these models to political decision making about redistribution of income and wealth among modern humans. In studies conducted in Argentina, Denmark, and the United States, men with greater upper-body strength more strongly endorsed the self-beneficial position Among men of lower socioeconomic status (SES), strength predicted increased support for redistribution; among men of higher SES, strength predicted increased opposition to redistribution. Because personal upper-body strength is irrelevant to payoffs from economic policies in modern mass democracies, the continuing role of strength suggests that modern political decision making is shaped by an evolved psychology designed for small-scale groups.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Política
/
Conducta Social
/
Toma de Decisiones
/
Economía
/
Fuerza Muscular
/
Renta
Tipo de estudio:
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
/
America do sul
/
Argentina
/
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychol Sci
Asunto de la revista:
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2013
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Dinamarca