• Question: Love seems to be counterproductive to evolution, why did it happen?

    Asked by elhermano to David, Luna, Mark, Melanie, Probash on 22 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: David Pyle

      David Pyle answered on 20 Mar 2011:

      In pure science terms, evolution doesn’t have a purpose, or a direction. How and when feelings and emotions arose is a fascinating question – but not one that I have any answer to!

    • Photo: Mark Vesey

      Mark Vesey answered on 20 Mar 2011:

      Why is it counterproductive to evolution? I don’t really know why love ‘happened’, I don’t think anyone really understands love and how people feel about each other, to describe it as simple chemical reactions relating to hormones isn’t enough for me.

    • Photo: Melanie Stefan

      Melanie Stefan answered on 20 Mar 2011:

      I don’t think love is counterproductive in evolutionary terms. Erotic love makes people more likely to mate, and thereby increases the number of offspring. The love between partners in a long-term relationship and the love that parents feel towards their children makes members of a family look after each other, so children have a better chance of surviving (and later, reproducing themselves). Also, positive emotions (like love) seem to have a positive effect on the immune system, so love seems to make people healthier and therefore more likely to pass on their DNA.

    • Photo: Luna Munoz

      Luna Munoz answered on 21 Mar 2011:

      Love is counterproductive if you think that every man or woman should watch out for number 1 (that is, themselves). However, humans rely on social interactions, so love would be very productive for social animals like us.

    • Photo: Probash Chowdhury

      Probash Chowdhury answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      I don’t think love is counterproductive to evolution at all – I think loved evolved too. Man didn’t invent love – they only invented the name for it. Since physiologically speaking it is a feeling caused by a series of chemical reactions predominantly in the brain, it must have evolved along with humans. As for why; it is to affirm the bond between two people in order for them to stay together whether a mother and baby or partners. The former is obvious why (the baby is totally dependent on it’s mother and can’t survive without her). The latter is more of a primeval reason; the male is encouraged to stay to protect the mother and baby by this feeling of love. Otherwise the male would fertilise and leave to hunt or fertilise elsewhere (OK some men still do this to this day!). The bond between the male and baby grows then as well.

      That’s just my view on this 🙂

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