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Biology tells us that there is no love without reason in the world, and human gender relations are the result of a long evolution. Love is actually a complex physiological reaction, and the secretion of hormones is controlled by genes. Love at first sight or being well-matched is the inherent logic of the game between men and women.

What is the nature of love and marriage from the perspective of evolution? Is "Genes determine that I love you" just a "toxic chicken soup" on the Internet? Why is the marriage gift also related to evolution? The Paper invites Shi Jun, a doctor of biology and author of popular science books, to talk about love from the perspective of genes.

The Evolution of Love

@山有木兮卿没人意: Is it true that genes determine who I love? Is it just a myth spread online? How does love at first sight happen?

Shi Jun:The so-called "genes determine who I love" is a way of understanding that is circulated on the Internet. The actual situation is far from that simple. Otherwise, everyone would just go for a gene sequencing and there would be no need for love or blind dates.

However, molecular biology research shows that there is indeed an intrinsic connection between people's genes and love. This is a long story, and it is mainly related to the HOX gene. As for love at first sight, it is a short-term mate selection strategy and may not necessarily achieve a good mating effect.

@赞虚无: I’ve found that people who are in love and married look more and more alike, and even pets look like their owners. Is this because we choose people who are genetically similar to ourselves, or do they just become more and more alike over time?

Shi Jun:The saying that people who love each other look more and more alike may be a coincidence or a misunderstanding. Of course, it is also possible that they really look more and more alike, because people who love each other will constantly imitate each other, from expressions to movements, and even some living habits. These similarities will also be included in the scope of becoming more and more alike.

As for whether it is related to similar genes, no relevant research has been seen so far. People may not actively seek out people with similar genes to fall in love with. Instead, there is an opposite view that people tend to seek to marry people with genes that are very different from their own, so that the offspring can obtain complementary immune capabilities and have stronger immune capabilities. Of course, these are not conclusive. So there is no conclusion on this issue, or it may be that the issue itself does not exist at all.

@范逐风: Hello, Mr. Shi, your point of view is quite cold and sobering. Compared with understanding the psychological motivations of men and women's behavior, I would like to know more about how you prove that love is a physiological reaction and how to use natural phenomena to explain human phenomena. It seems that there is a gap between the two. Please briefly introduce your ideas.

Shi Jun:Wilson, a famous American sociobiologist, believes that all human social phenomena can be explained by the principles of sociobiology, all for the purpose of maximizing reproductive returns. Whether in literature or philosophy, the principles are basically the same. In this sense, there is no essential difference between natural phenomena and human phenomena. After all, humans are just a kind of primate. They have all the basic characteristics of mammals. Cultural phenomena cannot completely eliminate human animality. Moreover, cultural phenomena themselves are a kind of biological phenomenon. Other animals also have cultural phenomena, but they are just expressed in different forms.

Love is a physiological reaction, which is easy to understand. It is just a combination of a lot of hormones and molecular signals. I have discussed this in my book "The Evolution of Love". To give a simple example, men and women in love like to hug each other because hugging makes people happy. The source of happiness is that hugging can activate subcutaneous pressure receptors in batches, promote the body to release so-called hug hormones, such as oxytocin and dopamine, and then trigger a series of physiological reactions. Just like holding hands, it can slow down the heartbeat, lower blood pressure, eliminate fear, make people open their hearts, promote mutual trust, and even be willing to commit to each other.

Genes and marriage

@飞天小巫婆: Men desire marriage more than women. Is it because men are the vested interests in marriage?

Shi Jun:There is no evidence that men desire marriage more than women. In fact, men and women should desire marriage equally. After all, marriage requires the unanimous consent of men and women. Anyone who agrees to get married can be considered a vested interest in marriage. If they feel that they have not benefited from marriage, it is difficult for them to agree to get married. It is just that men and women benefit in different ways, and sometimes it feels that they benefit to different degrees. That has to do with the different positions of men and women, not the facts.

Men always think that women benefit more from marriage, while women think the opposite. This is the so-called conflict between the sexes. The conflict between the sexes has always existed, but it manifests itself in different forms. Divorce is the most direct manifestation.

@面包人: Can you tell me whether there is a view on marriage from a genetic perspective? And is the fear of marriage among some people now more due to social factors or personal reasons?

Shi Jun:In today's human society, only marriage can effectively raise offspring and help them gain sufficient competitiveness. Offspring are the inheritors of their parents' genes. This may be the most direct relationship between marriage and genes. In my opinion, modern people's fear of marriage is more due to cultural reasons rather than personal reasons. If a person has no problems with his economic ability, health status and social status, he should not be afraid of marriage.

@西瓜煤乐味: What is the relationship between marriage gifts and evolution?

Shi Jun:The bride price sets a threshold for marriage, increases the cost of marriage, and makes it difficult for men and women to start a marriage at will. Of course, it is also difficult to end a marriage at will, because the bride price has become a sunk cost paid in the early stage. If the economic strength does not allow, the best way is to maintain the existing marriage. Therefore, the bride price has a certain meaning of maintaining the marriage system and providing a certain guarantee for the survival of future generations. Imagine if everyone can get married once for only ten yuan, what will the result be?

Gender differences and causes

@青山岜: Is there a bigger difference in the physique (such as height) of males and females in prehistoric times or in the physique of males and females today? Is it due to culture?

Shi Jun:The so-called prehistoric humans have different performances depending on the time period. In general, the difference in body size between men and women has always existed, which is called male-female dimorphism in biology. The male-female dimorphism of humans has been showing a trend of continuous shrinking, indicating that the intensity of male-male competition is constantly weakening, which has a certain relationship with cultural development. Now male-male competition between men is mainly for economic status and political status, and rarely for muscle strength. This is the main reason for the continuous shrinking of the difference in body size between men and women.

@I still can’t understand the code no matter how hard I try: Men generally have a shorter life expectancy than women. Why is that?

Shi Jun:There are many attempts to give a comprehensive explanation of this topic. My favorite explanation is that there is fierce male competition among men, which makes men prone to taking risks, such as smoking, drinking, fighting, and racing, which can easily lead to premature death. In addition, male hormones can also suppress immune function, making men more susceptible to various diseases, and ultimately greatly shortening men's lifespan.

@阿飞负传: Why are men generally ordinary and confident?

Shi Jun:This is generally true for male mammals, which is mainly determined by the value of sperm and eggs. Female eggs are few in number and large in size, and are rare and valuable. Male sperm are numerous and small in size, equivalent to small coins. Therefore, if sperm wants to find egg cooperation, it is necessary for sperm spokespersons to actively and positively pursue egg spokespersons. If they are not confident, how can they pursue? As for whether they are ordinary or not, it depends on the competitors. In general, from the perspective of natural selection, the more ordinary, the better.

Author: Shi Jun Publisher: World Book Publishing Company Publication Date: June 2024