Truth in Advertising

[James Brody]

Matt Ridley reminded us of the dishonesty that appears in communal organizations: systems develop to suppress "free riders." Males may be particularly needy for supervision not to enhance their little experiments but to dampen them. In dating, schoolyards, and courtrooms, the ladies pull us - by insults, lectures, our left cortex, genomics, and sexual refusals - back from the edge of chaos.

This item from Science Daily shows another way in which "free riders" (sic!) are managed by consequences. Of course, it could also be that males who invest more in the care of offspring have more influential imprints from their own mothers that inhibit showing off...

JimB

"Throughout the animal kingdom brilliant colors or elaborate behavioral displays serve as "advertisements" for attracting mates. But, what do the ads promise, and is there truth in advertizing? Researchers at Yale theorize that when males must provide care for the survival of their offspring, the males' signals will consistently be honest — and they may devote more of their energy to caring for their offspring than to being attractive."

Http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0618101510.htm