The four types of distinct (love) bond that I see are:
- Mating love; a tendency to bond to a desirable mate(s) or sexual partner(s).
- Offspring love; a tendency to bond to ones own genetic offspring.
- Genetic love; a tendency to bond to ones own close genetic relatives (even if they are not ones own offspring).
- Friendship love; a tendency to bond to other individuals in ones community or environment.
Consider the purpose, function, and characteristics of each of these types of love bond:
Mating Love
Purpose: The primary evolutionary purpose of mating love is to attract and keep mates together to support child rearing. Based on this definition alone, this model predicts that the strength and duration of mating love would be related (in general) to:
- Perceived genetic qualities of mate.
- Frequency and quality of sex.
- Exclusivity of sexual access.
- Reciprocity of love bond.
- Age and presence of children.
- Other factors unique to the individual.
Based on this definition, this model also predicts that mating love (in general):
- Is unselfish but self-serving.
- Evokes mutual supportiveness in exchange for sexual possession.
- Quickly reverts to selfishness after mate sexual infidelity.
- Tends to diminish as children grow beyond vulnerable stages.
- Tends to evolve towards ‘friendship love’.
- Will tend to last longer for females than for males.
- In males, will primarily be affected by sexual infidelity.
- In females, will primarily be affected by emotional infidelity.
- Can be a high or low intensity bond, but will not last for life.
Offspring Love
Purpose: The primary evolutionary purpose of offspring love is to motivate parents to protect their genetic offspring and invest in them. Based on the definition, this model predicts that the strength and duration of offspring love could be affected (in general) by:
- The number of other offspring.
- The hostility of the environment, or vulnerability of offspring.
- Other factors unique to the individual.
Based on the definition, this model also predicts that offspring love (in general):
- Is unselfish but self-serving.
- Primarily evokes protectiveness and nurturing.
- Will tend to diminish or revert to selfishness after adulthood.
- Will tend to be stronger and more enduring in females.
- Will be a high intensity bond that lasts (albeit in a diminished capacity) for life.
Genetic Love
Purpose: The primary evolutionary purpose of genetic love is to motivate individuals to protect their genetic ‘relations’. Based on the definition, this model predicts that the strength and duration of genetic love would be related (in general) to:
- The genetic ‘closeness’.
- Other factors unique to the individual.
Based on the definition, this model also predicts that genetic love (in general):
- Is unselfish but self-serving.
- Will tend to revert to selfishness under competitive conditions.
- Will tend to be characterized by protectiveness.
- Will be a low intensity bond that lasts for life.
Friendship Love
Purpose: The primary evolutionary purpose of friendship love is to bond in order capture the strategic evolutionary benefits of living in communal environments. Based on the definition, this model predicts that the strength and duration of friendship love would be related (in general) to:
- The reciprocity of the bond.
- Proximity and frequency of community interactions.
- Mutual relevance in the community environment.
- Other factors unique to the individual.
Based on the definition, this model also predicts that friendship love (in general):
- Is unselfish but self-serving
- Will tend to revert to selfishness under non-reciprocal conditions.
- Tends to be characterized by mutual supportiveness.
- Can be a high or low intensity bond, and will tend fade only with distance, lack of frequency, and/or reduced environmental relevance.
Posted by Scott as Biology, Sociology at 4:19 PM BST
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Browsing through The Annals of Improbable Research, I see that Dutch academic Wolter Seuntjens has successfully defended a Ph.D. thesis entitled “The Hidden Sexuality of the Human Yawn“.
Since the proximate Cause(s) of why we yawn have eluded scientists, and baffled many people for quite some time, it’s interesting to see that some research has been conducted in this area, and rather intriguing to find that there may be a sexual element to some types of yawns.
Dr Seuntjens, of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, tries to provide a systematic-encyclopaedic overview of all the available knowledge about yawning; drawing on linguistics (semantics, etymology), sociology, psychology, the medical sciences (anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology), and even the arts (literature, film, visual arts). He then associates much of the data, and examines the hypothesis that yawning has a sexual aspect.
He believes there is currently no good explanation that explains yawning, and points out that the popular hypoxia (the body taking in extra oxygen) and hypercapnia (the body getting rid of extra carbon dioxide) theories were conclusively refuted by Robert Provine and collaborators back in 1987. But further, the newer popular theory that yawning leads to wakefulness (‘arousal defense reflex,’ Askenasy 1989) has a number of problems (Regehr, Ogilvie, and Simons 1992).
Dr Seuntjens makes the preliminary conclusion:
[W]e have really no idea what causes yawning and what purpose yawning serves or what mechanisms are responsible for yawning and even what the essential anatomical constituents of yawning are. In the age in which the human genome has been deciphered and space travel has become almost trite this verdict may sound like an affront
There was however at least one recurrent theme: eroticism-sexuality.
Both the ‘yawn’ and the ‘stretch’ of the stretch-yawn syndrome have been linked to ‘desire’ and ‘longing for’, by previous researchers. And ‘being in love’ by numerous proverbs and sayings. Psychoanalysts and Depth-psychologists that mention yawns interpreted them as latent sexual signals, while other authors have described the feeling that accompanies the acme of yawning as a ‘mini orgasm’.
Dr Seuntjens states:
In discussing pathology I discovered that yawning and spontaneous ejaculation were mentioned concomitantly in terminal rabies.
And continues:
In discussing pharmacology I found a link between yawning and spontaneous orgasm in withdrawal from heroin addiction. Likewise, yawning and sexual response were associated as clinical side effects of several antidepressant drugs. In one publication an undeniable causal relation was reported: both spontaneous and intentional yawning provoked instantaneous ejaculation orgasm.
He concludes:
There are times when a yawn is simply a yawn. (Even if a ’simple’ yawn is not simple at all.)
In everyday life each and every individual yawn must be interpreted, as it cannot be ascribed to one specific cause, or be explained with total certainty.
Dr Seuntjens website
baillement.com is a cornucopia of information on yawning, should you decide to study Pandiculation further.
Update:
It seems that the
latest research into yawning suggests that it may be a brain cooling mechanism, cooling mechanism that promotes increased alertness.
Posted by Jonathan as Art & Literature, Psychology, Sociology at 8:58 PM BST
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Today’s Grauniad has some excerpts from one of the oldest seduction guides around, Ovid’s didactic poem Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), which was originally published, sometime between 2BC and AD2.
The article points out a number of Roman achievements: straight roads, under-floor heating, excellent sewage systems; but more importantly, they invented romantic love. And, Ovid has left us a detailed, scandalous, hilarious, cynical, explicit yet still user-friendly handbook on how to find it.
So, here’s Ovid’s (really quite simple) three step guide to meeting your ideal partner:
Part I : Get ready – get a makeover
et nihil emineant et sint sine sordibus ungues,
inque caua nullus stet tibi nare pilus.
nec male odorati sit tristis anhelitus oris,
nec laedat nares uirque paterque gregis.
cetera lasciuae faciant concede puellae
et si quis male uir quaerit habere uirum. |
Keep your nails pared, and dirt-free;
Don’t let those long hairs sprout
In your nostrils, make sure your breath is never offensive,
Avoid the rank male stench
That wrinkles noses. Beyond this is for wanton women
Or any half-man who wants to attract men. |
For women, he advises no body hair:
Quam paene admonui, ne trux caper iret in alas
neque forent duris aspera crura pilis |
I was going to advise you about grim, goaty armpits,
and rough, bristling hair on your legs. |
And then, concerning makeup:
non tamen expositas mensa deprendat amator
pyxidas: ars faciem dissimulata iuuat. |
But don’t let your lover find all those jars and bottles
On your dressing table: the best Makeup remains unobtrusive. |
He continues, on the topic of hairdos:
munditiis capimur: non sint sine lege capilli;
admotae formam dantque negantque manus.
nec genus ornatus unum est: quod quamque decebit,
eligat et speculum consulat ante suum.
longa probat facies capitis discrimina puri:
sic erat ornatis Laodamia comis.
exiguum summa nodum sibi fronte relinqui,
ut pateant aures, ora rotunda uolunt.
alterius crines umero iactentur utroque:
talis es adsumpta, Phoebe canore, lyra;
altera succinctae religetur more Dianae,
ut solet, attonitas cum petit illa feras. |
What attracts us is elegance – so don’t neglect your hairstyle;
Looks can be made or marred by a skilful touch.
Nor will one style suit all: there are innumerable fashions,
And each girl should look in her glass
Before choosing what suits her reflection. Long features go best with
A plain central parting: that’s how
Laodamia’s hair was arranged. A round-faced lady
Should pile all her hair on top,
Leaving the ears exposed. One girl should wear it down on
Her shoulders, like Apollo about to play
The lyre; another should braid it in the style of the huntress
Diana, when she’s after some frightened beast, Skirt hitched up. |
For the final part of the makeover, Ovid suggests learning some Latin poetry, which luckily, you’re doing right now.
Part II : Get out into town
You wont meet someone special sitting at home, so create opportunities to meet people. Be bold, suggests Ovid: talk to the pretty girls that hang out at the temple of Palatine Apollo or in Pompey’s portico.
sera ueni positaque decens incede lucerna:
grata mora uenies, maxima lena mora est;
etsi turpis eris, formosa uidebere potis,
et latebras uitiis nox dabit ipsa tuis. |
Arrive late, when the lamps are lit; make a
graceful entrance -
Delay enhances charm, delay’s a great bawd.
Plain you may be, but at night you’ll look fine |
Men should take into account flattering lighting, when you’re meeting girls:
hic tu fallaci nimium ne crede lucernae:
iudicio formae noxque merumque nocent.
luce deas caeloque Paris spectauit aperto,
cum dixit Veneri “uincis utramque, Venus.”
nocte latent mendae uitioque ignoscitur omni,
horaque formosam quamlibet illa facit. |
Don’t trust the lamplight too much,
It’s deceptive. When Paris examined those
goddesses, when he said, “You Beat them both, Venus,”
he did it in broad Daylight. But darkness hides faults,
each blemish is forgiven: Any woman you name will pass
As a beauty at night. |
How do you approach someone you fancy? Easy, says old Ovid, here’s an example:
You’re sitting next to a pretty girl at the races…
hic tibi quaeratur socii sermonis origo,
et moueant primos publica uerba sonos:
cuius equi ueniant facito studiose requiras,
nec mora, quisquis erit cui fauet illa, faue.
at cum pompa frequens caelestibus ibit eburnis,
tu Veneri dominae plaude fauente manu;
utque fit, in gremium puluis si forte puellae
deciderit, digitis excutiendus erit;
etsi nullus erit puluis, tamen excute nullum. |
Some excuse to engage in friendly conversation,
Casual small talk at first -
Ask, with a show of interest, whose are those horses
Just coming past: find out Her favourite, back it yourself.
When the long procession of ivory
Deities approaches, be sure you give
A big hand to Lady Venus. If some dust should settle
In your girl’s lap, flick it away with your fingers;
and if there’s no dust, still flick away – nothing. |
Part III : Keep going
So, you’ve met a potential lover, but how do you actually seduce them?
Ovid states that victory is all about self-belief. Imagine yourself to be invincible, and chances are you will be.
prima tuae menti ueniat fiducia, cunctas
posse capi: capies, tu modo tende plagas.
uere prius uolucres taceant, aestate cicadae,
Maenalius lepori det sua terga canis,
femina quam iuueni blande temptata epugnet;
haec quoque, quam poteris credere nolle, uolet. |
The first thing to get in your head is that every single
Girl can be caught – and that you’ll catch her if
You set your toils right. Birds will sooner fall
dumb in spring time, Cicadas in summer, or a hunting-dog
Turn his back on a hare, than a lover’s bland inducements
Can fail with a woman. |
Keep in touch with your new love interest:
Sit tibi credibilis sermo consuetaque uerba,
blanda tamen, praesens ut uideare loqui. |
use everyday language, familiar yet flattering words,
as though you were there, in her presence. |
And:
| Postque breuem rescribe moram: mora semper amantes incitat |
Write back after a little delay: delay always fires up lovers |
If you followed all the poet’s steps closely, you should have pulled. If not, keep trying. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Jonathan adds:
I’ve found a complete English translation of Ovid’s poem, that you may wish to view
here.
Posted by Jonathan as Art & Literature, History at 11:47 PM BST
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I’ve just noticed a great little article in New Scientist. It is a brief introduction into the work of Randy Thornhill (what an appropriate name!) at the University of New Mexico. He presented his theory about female oestrus at the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour meeting at Newcastle University.
He claims that women don’t become more aroused on heat, but change their mating preferences to “good genes“. Outside of their peak fertility they prefer men with traits indicating willingness to invest in child-rearing.
“Oestrus doesn’t indiscriminately increase sexual desire,” Dr Thornhill said. “It functions to get good genes.”
He and colleague Steve Gangestad say there are many examples of mammals that don’t mate with just any male when on heat. Mice, for example, try to mate with males that have different immune systems from their own, while female elephants go for the most dominant male.
Thornhill believes applying the concept of oestrus to women resolves the apparent paradox that they are concerned with getting good genes at peak fertility, and outside of this time – when he says they are in a phase of “extended sexuality” – they are concerned with getting material benefits.
Source: New Scientist (15 September 2007) 2621:18
Posted by Oliver as Psychology, Sociobiology at 9:44 PM BST
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