Abstract
The evolutionary advantage of psychological phenomena can be gleaned by comparing them with physical traits that have proven adaptive in other organisms. The present article provides a novel evolutionary explanation of suicide in humans by comparing it with aposematism in insects. Aposematic insects are brightly colored, making them conspicuous to predators. However, such insects are equipped with toxins that cause a noxious reaction when eaten. Thus, the death of a few insects conditions predators to avoid other insects of similar coloration. Analogously, human suicides may increase the credibility of future suicide threats and attempts from others, conveying an evolutionary advantage to the phenotypic expression of suicidal behavior in low-fitness contexts.
Highlights
Inference on the evolutionary function of psychological phenomena can be made by comparing them to physical characteristics found naturally in other organisms (Nesse 1999, 2019)
Pertaining investigations support the hypothesis posited by Sacks and Eth (1981) that those with similar social and psychological characteristics to an initial suicide may be more prone to becoming members of a point cluster
Many parallels exist between insect aposematism and human suicide
Summary
Inference on the evolutionary function of psychological phenomena can be made by comparing them to physical characteristics found naturally in other organisms (Nesse 1999, 2019). I will refer to this concept of conditioning society to prevent or alleviate low-fitness contexts through suicide as psychological aposematism. These three studies suggest that having similar social and psychological characteristics to an initial suicide or suicide attempt may be a point cluster risk factor (Crawford and Willis 1966; Sacks and Eth 1981; Zemishlany et al 1987).
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