Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Separation of Sexual Activity and Reproduction in Human Social Evolution

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Physiology

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 814))

Abstract

In industrialized societies the progression of natural selection has been determined and in many cases superseded by social evolution. In the case of reproduction, there has been a decline and delay of childbearing without diminished sexual activity. While this has value for these societies, there are penalties associated with barren cycles. These include increases in endometriosis and breast and genital cancer. There also are associated issues regarding population movements that fill the “vacuums” left by underpopulation. These matters are of more than passing interest as we cope with unintended consequences of Man’s dominance over the environment and other life forms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Adami HO, Hsieh CC, Lambe M, Trichopoulos D, Leon D, Persson I, et al. Parity, age at first childbirth, and risk of ovarian cancer. Lancet. 1994;344:1250–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. McPherson CP, Sellers TA, Potter JD, Bostick RM, Folsom AR. Reproductive factors and risk of endometrial cancer. The Iowa Women’s Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1996;143:1195–202.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Kelsey JL, Gammon MD, John EM. Reproductive factors and breast cancer. Epidemiol Rev. 1993;15:36–47.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Hemmings R, Rivard M, Olive DL, Poliquin-Fleury J, Gagné D, Hugo P, et al. Evaluation of risk factors associated with endometriosis. Fertil Steril. 2004;81:1513–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Warner P, Bancroft J. Factors related to the self-reporting of the pre-menstrual syndrome. Br J Psychiatry. 1990;157:249–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Wyckoff GJ, Wang W, Wu CI. Rapid evolution of male reproductive genes in the descent of man. Nature. 2000;403:304–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Pizzari T, Gardner A. The sociobiology of sex: inclusive fitness consequences of inter-sexual interactions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2012;367:2314–23.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Nowak MA, Tarnita CE, Wilson EO. The evolution of eusociality. Nature. 2010;466:1057–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Darwin CR. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: John Murray; 1859.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hunt JH. A conceptual model for the origin of worker behaviour and adaptation of eusociality. J Evol Biol. 2012;25:1–19.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Boomsma JJ. Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009;364:3191–207.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Rousset F, Lion S. Much ado about nothing: Nowak et al’.s charge against inclusive fitness theory. J Evol Biol. 2011;24:1386–92.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ross L, Gardner A, Hardy N, West SA. Ecology, not the genetics of sex determination, determines who helps in eusocial populations. Curr Biol. 2013;23:2383–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Allen B, Nowak MA, Wilson EO. Limitations of inclusive fitness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110:20135–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. House CM, Lewis Z, Hodgson DJ, Wedell N, Sharma MD, Hunt J, et al. Sexual and natural selection both influence male genital evolution. PLoS One. 2013;8:e63807.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Archer CR, Sakaluk SK, Selman C, Royle NJ, Hunt J. Oxidative stress and the evolution of sex differences in life span and ageing in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus. Evolution. 2013;67:620–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Weddle CB, Steiger S, Hamaker CG, Ower GD, Mitchell C, Sakaluk SK, et al. Cuticular hydrocarbons as a basis for chemosensory self-referencing in crickets: a potentially universal mechanism facilitating polyandry in insects. Ecol Lett. 2013;16:346–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Gintis H. Strong reciprocity and human sociality. J Theor Biol. 2000;206:169–79.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Wilson EO. The ethical implications of human sociobiology. Hastings Cent Rep. 1980;10:27–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Bourke AF. The validity and value of inclusive fitness theory. Proc Biol Sci. 2011;278:3313–20.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Wilson DS, Wilson EO. Rethinking the theoretical foundation of sociobiology. Q Rev Biol. 2007;82:327–48.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Foster KR. A defense of sociobiology. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2009;74:403–18.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lachmann PJ. The grandmother effect. Gerontology. 2011;57:375–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Mitteldorf JJ, Goodnight C. Post-reproductive life span and demographic stability. Biochemistry (Mosc). 2013;78:1013–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Parent J, Jones DJ, Forehand R, Cuellar J, Shoulberg EK. The role of coparents in African American single-mother families: the indirect effect of coparent identity on youth psychosocial adjustment. J Fam Psychol. 2013;27:252–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Deng K, Gintis H, Chu T. Strengthening strong reciprocity. J Theor Biol. 2011;268:141–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. da Silva J. BRCA1/2 mutations, fertility and the grandmother effect. Proc Biol Sci. 2012;279:2926–9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Brunker PA. Chimerism in transfusion medicine: the grandmother effect revisited. Chimerism. 2013;4:119–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Carlsson B. The development and use of machine tools in historical perspective. J Econ Behav Organ. 1984;5:91–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Buer MC. Health, wealth, and population in the early days of the industrial revolution. London: Routledge; 1926.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Walsh CT. Antibiotics: actions, origins, resistance. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology Press; 2003.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  32. Stearns SC, Nesse RM, Govindaraju DR, Ellison PT. Evolutionary perspectives on health and medicine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107:1691–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Cohen JE. Human population: the next half century. Science. 2003;302:1172–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Robertson JA. Children of choice. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Wellings K, Collumbien M, Slaymaker E, Singh S, Hodges Z, Patel D, Bajos N. Sexual behaviour in context: a global perspective. Lancet. 2006;368:1708–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Goldin C, Katz LF. The power of the pill: oral contraceptives and women’s career and marriage decisions. J Polit Econ. 2002;110:730–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Benzies K, Tough S, Tofflemire K, Frick C, Faber A, Newburn-Cook C. Factors influencing women’s decisions about timing of motherhood. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2006;35:625–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Trigger BG. Early civilizations; ancient Egypt in context. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press; 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Lipschutz RD. Reconstructing world politics: the emergence of global civil society. Millennium. 1992;21:389–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Dreyer JLE, Stahl WH. A history of astronomy from Thales to Kepler. New York, NY: Dover; 1953.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Kostof S, Castillo G. A history of architecture: settings and rituals. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Porter D. Health, civilization and the state: a history of public health from ancient to modern times. London: Routledge; 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Roush SW, Murphy TV. Historical comparisons of morbidity and mortality for vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. JAMA. 2007;298:2155–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Stearns SC, Ebert D. Evolution in health and disease: work in progress. Q Rev Biol. 2001;76:417–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Amsterdam LL, Gentry W, Jobanputra S, Wolf M, Rubin S, Bulun S. Anastrozole and oral contraceptives: a novel treatment for endometriosis. Fertil Steril. 2005;84:300–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Gwinn ML, Lee NC, Rhodes PH, Layde PM, Rubin GL. Pregnancy, breast feeding, and oral contraceptives and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. J Clin Epidemiol. 1990;43:559–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Croen LA, Najjar DV, Fireman B, Grether JK. Maternal and paternal age and risk of autism spectrum disorders. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161:334–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Bailey MJ. More power to the pill: the impact of contraceptive freedom on women’s life cycle labor supply. Q J Econ. 2006;126:289–320.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ, Mathews TJ, Kirmeyer S, et al. Births: final data for 2007. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2010;58:1–86.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Sedgh G, Henshaw S, Singh S, Ahman E, Shah IH. Induced abortion: estimated rates and trends worldwide. Lancet. 2007;370:1338–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Rahman A, Katzive L, Henshaw SK. A global review of laws on induced abortion, 1985–1997. Int Fam Plan Perspect. 1998;24:56–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Pew Research Council. What makes marriages work? 2007. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2007/07/01/as-marriage-and-parenthood-drift-apart-public-is-concerned-about-social-impact/.

  53. Same-Sex Marriage Support Solidifies Above 50 % in U.S., Gallup. http://www.gallup.com/poll/162398/sex-marriage-support-solidifies-above.aspx. Accessed 22 Oct 2013.

  54. Silva I, Naftolin F. Brain health and cognitive and mood disorders in ageing women. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2013;27:661–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. The Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. World leaders—World fact book. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/pdf-version/pdf-version.html. Retrieved 30 Dec 2013.

  56. Sandberg S. Lean in: women, work, and the will to lead. New York, NY: Doubleday; 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  57. Zaki KP, Johnson NE. Does women’s literacy affect desired fertility and contraceptive use in rural-urban Pakistan? J Biosoc Sci. 1993;25:445–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. LeVine RA, LeVine SE, Schnell B. “Improve the women”: mass schooling, female literacy, and worldwide social change. Harv Educ Rev. 2001;71:1–51.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Glynn SJ. The new breadwinners: 2010 update. The Center for American Progress 2012. http://americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2012/04/16/11377/the-new-breadwinners-2010-update/.

  60. Greil AL. Infertility and psychological distress: a critical review of the literature. Soc Sci Med. 1997;45:1679–704.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Henrich J, McElreath R, Barr A, Ensminger J, Barrett C, Bolyanatz A, Cardenas JC, Gurven M, Gwako E, Henrich N, Lesorogol C, Marlowe F, Tracer D, Ziker J. Costly punishment across human societies. Science. 2006;312:1767–70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Chudek M, Henrich J. Culture-gene coevolution, norm-psychology and the emergence of human prosociality. Trends Cogn Sci. 2011;15:218–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. House BR, Silk JB, Henrich J, Barrett HC, Scelza BA, Boyette AH, Hewlett BS, McElreath R, Laurence S. Ontogeny of prosocial behavior across diverse societies. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2013;110:14586–91.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Wilson EO. Is humanity suicidal? Biosystems. 1993;31:235–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Reproductive Biology Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Scott Morin M.D., David Keefe M.D. & Frederick Naftolin M.D., D. Phil.

Authors
  1. Scott Morin M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Keefe M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Frederick Naftolin M.D., D. Phil.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederick Naftolin M.D., D. Phil. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA

    Lubo Zhang

  2. Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA

    Charles A. Ducsay

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this paper

Cite this paper

Morin, S., Keefe, D., Naftolin, F. (2014). The Separation of Sexual Activity and Reproduction in Human Social Evolution. In: Zhang, L., Ducsay, C. (eds) Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Physiology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 814. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1031-1_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation