Abstract
ObjectivesIn humans (and primates more generally), evolutionary fitness arises by two separate routes: conventional reproduction build around dyadic relationships and, reflecting the processes of group augmentation selection, how well individuals are embedded in their community. These processes are facilitated by a suite of genetically inherited neuroendocrines and neurotransmitters. It is not, however, known whether these effects are directly due to genetic factors or are mediated by aspects of personality, or whether there are sex differences in the way this is organised.MethodsWe examine whether dispositional factors related to the processing of social information, such as personality (Big 5 and Impulsivity), attachment style (Anxious and Avoidant dimensions) and sociocognitive capacity (emotion recognition) mediate associations between variation in receptor genes for oxytocin, vasopressin, beta-endorphin, dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and two core social relationship indices (the Sociosexual Orientation Index [SOI] and Support Network size).ResultsIn men, variation in dopamine genes indirectly influences SOI through its effect on Impulsivity. In contrast, in women, variation in endorphin and vasopressin genes independently affect Openness to Experience, which mediates indirect effects of these genes on SOI. Moreover, endorphin gene variation also impacts on Network Size in women (but not men), via Extraversion.ConclusionsThese findings reveal that dispositional aspects of personality mediate some genetic effects on behaviour, thereby extending our understanding of how genetic and dispositional variation interact to determine individual differences in human sexual and social cognition and behaviour. The differences between the sexes seem to reflect differences in the two sexes’ social strategies.
Highlights
The decisions we make in our highly dynamic social world have profound implications for individual fitness, both in terms of survival chances and opportunities to reproduce successfully
The result is a trade off between the short term benefits to be gained at the level of individual interactions and the long term benefits to be gained through being embedded in a functional group
We have previously shown that the different domains of our social world are influenced by different neurochemicals (Pearce et al 2017, 2018a, b)
Summary
The decisions we make in our highly dynamic social world have profound implications for individual fitness, both in terms of survival chances and opportunities to reproduce successfully. As for all primates, that social context involves the kinds of dyadic relationships that most evolutionary and psychological studies have focused on, and the wider social network, or community, within which these dyadic relationships are embedded. Exposure to a new social environment commonly results in the replacement of up to 40% of one’s social network, including many close friendships (Saramäki et al 2014; Roberts and Dunbar 2015), and this involves trade offs between the costs and benefits of different relationships. It has been the capacity to manage these trade offs so as to gain the benefits of living in groups while not completely foregoing short term benefits at the individual level that, in many ways, has been the key to primate, and especially human, evolutionary success
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