Abstract
The present study explores the links among life history, reproductive strategy, autism-spectrum quotient, and quality of life. Our 235 participants (167 women and 68 men, aged 19 - 54) filled four instruments: Life History Survey (LHSurv), MINI-K, Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). A cluster analysis was carried out in which the respondents’ answers to particular LHSurv items were used as variables in the clustering process. The next step in the analysis was to compare the delineated clusters with regard to three variables which were not included in cluster formation: the reproductive strategy (general Mini-K score), intensity of autistic traits (total AQ score) and life satisfaction level (general SWLS score). It was found that clusters formed on the basis of LHSurv results differ also in MINI-K, AQ and SWLS scores. The results show a link between such variables as reproductive strategy, autistic traits and quality of life. It seems that individuals who are raised with more financial and emotional support (including physical touch, from both parents and grandparents) end up with a slower life-history strategy, and more satisfied with their lives. These links are also reflected by individual life history, as revealed by the LHSurv instrument.
Highlights
Life History Theory (LHT) is a sub-theory formulated within evolutionary biology which describes how organisms allocate their material resources and bio
The step in the analysis was to compare the delineated clusters with regard to three variables which were not included in cluster formation: the reproductive strategy, intensity of autistic traits and life satisfaction level
This analysis was applied to those variables which had not been included in the clustering process, that is, satisfaction with life, autistic traits, and reproductive strategy
Summary
Life History Theory (LHT) is a sub-theory formulated within evolutionary biology which describes how organisms allocate their material resources and bio-. Draper and Harpending (1982) suggested that paternal absence in early childhood results in accelerated sexual maturation in girls (for example earlier age of menarche), prompting them not to expect paternal investments from their future partner This correlation has since been reproduced in multiple studies (see Belsky, 2010; see Ellis, 2004; meta-analysis Webster, Graber, Gesselman, Crossier, & Schember, 2014). Physical touch is at the core of this type of play and includes wrestling, grappling, kicking, tumbling and rolling on the ground, and chasing (Smith, 2009), and generally at age 7 is seen at higher rates in boys than in girls (Humphreys & Smith, 1987; see Panksepp & Scott, 2012 for a detailed review) This type of play is often thought to have evolutionary origins (Fry, 2014). To the best of our knowledge, so far there have been no studies within the LHT framework on the role of touch in the development of reproductive strategies
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