Jeannie Lee Effect Confirmed

• Self-Selected Data, Evolutionary Psych, and Born To Rebel by James Brody, 4/5/97
  • Male adolescents and aggression: evolutionary issues. by Mark Waugh, 4/5/97
    
    

Jeannie Lee Effect Confirmed

I described the Jeannie Lee Effect (1) in another posting (Adolescent Aggression: It's the Girls' Fault, 4/9/97) in which very intelligent, socially-conforming, and sometimes very pretty, females devote tremendous energy saving the hard case males from the school administration, from peer conflict, or from their parents.

The phenomenon has been confirmed both by a book, "Bad Boys: Why We Love Them..." by Lieberman & Cool" and locally by a free ranging, adolescent, self-described alpha. "Nobody in school argues with me, I like to win too much. But, with the right girl I'm a lot nicer. She keeps me from fighting, makes me study, and makes me behave with the teachers. She reminds me to stay calm and my grades are better. You're right, a lot of girls do the same thing for other guys. It's pretty amazing. I don't understand it myself."

There are evolutionary paths to explore.

One is the similarity noted in female chimps, our nearest clade relative, acting as peace-makers between quarreling males. Given the high percentage of genetic overlap, it may be there are adaptive systems for preserving peace. This could be an elaboration of proposed systems for encouraging male parental investment. Guys that don't fight may live longer to help with the children.

Second, not all women get into these relationships. It would be fascinating to look for "Imprinting" or Linkage Dysequilibrium patterns in women who do and those who do not act as rescuers.(2) If Imprinting or Linkage hold sway, then the Rescuer-Girls-High-in-Social- Conformity should have at least one parent or grandparent who was a rule breaker in school; Nonrescuer Girls should have conforming parents and grandparents. Separating Linkage from Imprinting effects means finding adopted girls and determining the greater similarity between her alpha and her natural parents vs. her adoptive ones.

Third, the rescuing female may gain social influence because of the guy who escorts her. This gain could be attractive to a who is socially inept, anxious, or experiencing low self esteem. More skilled teen females could polish their standing because of having influence with the school principal.

NOTES:

1) Names for an exemplar in high school who once wrote in my yearbook, "Remember me sometime," and consistent with established traditions in Sociobiology/Evol Psych as shown by the Bruce, Coolidge, Bateman, Waddington, and Baldwin Effects.

2) Imprinting, habituation, positive reinforcement might equally be applied for people who are reared by domineering parents and opt for a similar mate.

• Jeannie Lee Again by James Brody, 6/20/97