What is it about?
This study identifies 15 key domains of human motivation from an evolutionary perspective. Participants from several countries reported their perceived functioning in these 15 domains. The results showed that people generally felt more competent in areas such as safety, hygiene, and hunger. However, they reported dysfunction in sex, status, resource accumulation, and love. In particular, many participants reported that they were not good at achieving their desired frequency of sex. On average, older individuals perceived better overall functioning, and women reported higher levels of nurture (caring for family and others) than men. Wealth is associated with better perceived functioning in the domains of status and resource accumulation, but also in domains related to mating (i.e., attractiveness, affiliation, and love).
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Why is it important?
Current research on quality of life often focuses on broad life domains such as physical health and personal relationships, neglecting specific domains that are crucial to many individuals, such as sex and status. For example, many people devote considerable time and effort to satisfying their sexual desires or improving their physical appearance. This shows the importance of these areas in people’s lives and the need to consider them in quality-of-life research. In this study, I set out to shed light on these overlooked domains of life. Using an evolutionary lens, I identified specific domains that are inherently important to humans because they are linked to reproductive success and survival. The ultimate goal of the study was to use evolutionary theory to expand and enrich our understanding of well-being and quality of life.
Perspectives
While abstract and complicated concepts such as self-actualization and mental balance are undoubtedly important and enjoy contemporary popularity, this research underscores the remarkable importance of concrete and narrower facets such as sexual experience, physical appearance, and status in our daily lives. I believe that functioning well in these basic domains lays the foundation for achieving more complex and sophisticated versions of well-being that are valued in one’s cultural context (e.g., self-actualization, mental balance, and contentment).
Dr. Mohsen Joshanloo
Keimyung University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Perceived functioning in evolutionarily important domains of life., Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, July 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ebs0000335.
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