Head Size and Evolution: The problem is...

• Welcome to the BOL Forum on Evolutionary Psychology by John Grohol, 3/19/97
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    • Evolution continues: head and brain size by Dave Balding, 9/26/98
      
      

Nice theory, but the problem seems to be that for most of the world pre-reproduction mortality is presently far too low for us to be evolving. It is difficult to think of any inherited characteristic which is presently affecting the distribution of our genes in the next generation: materially unsuccessful, sexually unattractive people with unhealthy lifestyles have nearly identical reproductive success as those large-brained, handsome success stories who would have made a genetic killing in the H&G world.

My guess is that the only characteristics which might have an impact on reproductive success in the modern context are tendencies to like children, like large families, be sexually impulsive/reckless (leading to failure of contraception), etc. I suspect, however, that more intelligent minds than mine have already been over this subject matter in detail - anyone know where?

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