Evolutionary Psychology

Definition

Evolutionary psychology is an approach in psychology that attempts to explain useful mental and psychological traits as the functional products of natural selection. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations.

Related terms

Natural Selection: The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Adaptation: A trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection.

Sexual Selection: A mode of natural selection where members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex with whom to reproduce, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex.