Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychology has shed light on such features of the human experience as mating, love, religion, aggression, warfare, physical health, mental health, and more. The field of positive psychology has progressed along a parallel trajectory, using behavioral science techniques to help our understanding of human thriving at the individual and community levels. Positive Evolutionary Psychology is dedicated to the integration of positive and evolutionary psychology, with an eye toward using Darwinian-inspired concepts to help advance our understanding of human thriving. This Element describes the basic ideas of this new approach to behavioral science as well as examples that dip into various aspects of the human experience, including such topics as health, education, friendships, love, and more–all with an eye toward providing a roadmap for the application of Darwinian principles to better understanding human thriving and the good life.

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

"At long last, a readable, accessible, user friendly introduction to evolutionary psychology written by a rising star in the field. This book, filled with a broad array of fascinating topics, is bound to further whet the appetite of a growing number of students who have been inspired by this provocative, yet eminently testable approach to human behavior." Gordon G. Gallup Jr., PhD
University at Albany "A frolicking, down-to-earth, and informative introduction to the ever evolving and controversial field of evolutionary psychology." Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD
Author, "Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined" "Glenn Geher has created a text that is both comprehensive in coverage and scope and very accessible. It should be a welcome addition to the field that serves to further individuals' understanding of Evolutionary Psychology." T. Joel Wade, PhD
Professor and Chair of Psychology, Bucknell University

This is a concise and student-friendly survey of the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology (EP) and the controversies that surround it. Evolutionary psychology is an approach to studying human behavior that is rooted in modern evolutionary theory. Firmly grounded in the theoretical and research literature of EP, the book addresses the core theories, approaches, applications, and current findings that comprise this discipline. It is unique in its interdisciplinary focus, which encompasses EP's impact on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines.

Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society, the text examines psychological processes that lead to human survival and those that may lead to reproductive benefits-sometimes even at a cost to survival. It cites a rich body of literature that provides insights into the role of sexual selection in shaping the human mind. The text presents current research on such important domains of EP as childhood, courtship, intrasexual competition, sex, pair-bonding, parenting, familial relations, non-familial relations, aggression, and altruism. Considering the potential of EP to mitigate some of our greatest social problems, the text examines the ways in which EP can be applied to society and religion. It also offers a thoughtful, balanced approach to such controversies in EP as the issues of genetic determinism, racism, and sexism. Key Features:

Provides a broad survey one of the most recent, widely researched, and controversial fields to emerge in psychology over the past 20 years Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society Presents EP concepts in an accessible, student-friendly way Offers a unique interdisciplinary focus that addresses the impact of EP on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines Emphasizes controversies within the field of evolutionary psychology and includes critiques of EP from people outside this discipline

Straightforward Statistics: Understanding the Tools of Research is a clear and direct introduction to statistics for the social, behavioral, and life sciences. Based on the author's extensive experience teaching undergraduate statistics, this book provides a narrative presentation of the core principles that provide the foundation for modern-day statistics. With step-by-step guidance on the nuts and bolts of computing these statistics, the book includes detailed tutorials how to use state-of-the-art software, SPSS, to compute the basic statistics employed in modern academic and applied research. Across 13 succinct chapters, this text presents statistics using a conceptual approach along with information on the relevance of the different tools in different contexts and summaries of current research examples. Students should find this book easy useful and engaging in its presentation while instructors should find it detailed, comprehensive, accessible, and helpful in complementing a basic course in statistics.

Human intelligence is sexually attractive, and strongly predicts the success of sexual relationships, but the behavioral sciences have usually ignored the interface between intelligence and mating. This is the first serious scholarly effort to explore that interface, by examining both universal and individual differences in human mating intelligence. Contributors include some of the most prominent evolutionary psychologists and promising new researchers in human intelligence, social psychology, intimate relationships, and sexuality.
David Buss' foreword and the opening chapter explore what 'mating intelligence' means, and why it is central to human cognition and sexuality. The book's six sections then examine (1) our mating mechanisms - universal emotional and cognitive adaptations for mating intelligently - that guide mate search, mate choice, and courtship; (2) how mating intelligence strategically guides our choice of mating tactics and partners given different relationship goals, personality traits, forms of deception, and the existence of children; (3) the genetic and psychiatric causes of individual differences in mating intelligence; (4) how we use mental fitness indicators - forms of human intelligence such as creativity, humor, and emotional intelligence - to attract and retain sexual partners; (5) the ecological and social contexts of mating intelligence; (6) integrative models of mating intelligence that can guide future research.
Mating Intelligence is intended for researchers, advanced students, and courses in human sexuality, intimate relationships, intelligence research, behavior genetics, and evolutionary, personality, social, and clinical psychology.

There's intelligence involved in mating? Until recently, evolutionary psychologists have considered human mating behavior to be universal and similar to other animals, painting a picture of human mating as visceral, animalistic, and instinctual. But that's not the whole story. In courtship and display, sexual competition and rivalry, we are guided by Mating Intelligence, or the range of psychological abilities designed for sexual reproduction. Mating Intelligence is at work in our efforts to form, maintain, coordinate, and terminate relationships. It guides us in flirtation, foreplay, copulation, mind-reading, mate search, mate choice, and many other behaviors that may have reproductive payoffs. In Mating Intelligence Unleashed, psychologists Glenn Geher and Scott Barry Kaufman take a fascinating tour of the intersection of mating and intelligence by drawing on cutting-edge research on evolutionary psychology, intelligence, creativity, personality, social psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, epigenetics, and more. Along the way, they shed new light on age-old questions, such as: Can humor compensate for less-than-matinee looks? Why do artists have more sexual partners? What role does personality play in the mating domain? What traits influence attraction? How do people choose mates? How do men and women deceive each other? How important are kindness, compassion, and understanding? What about emotional intelligence? Do nice guys really finish last? This book will change the way you think about sex, dating, love, and the human mind.

Since being popularised by Goleman's (1995) best-seller by the same name, Emotional Intelligence (EI), as a construct, has permeated circles in both lay and academic psychological communities. This construct has been broadly applied to address health, education, and business concerns. An in-depth examination of EI research, however, suggests some concerns regarding this construct. In particular, a great deal of variety exists regarding how EI is best conceptualised and measured. The current volume is designed to address measurement issues regarding EI in a multi-faceted manner. The work presented here provides the interested reader with broad, in-depth, and critical perspectives on (a) how EI is best measured, and, by extension, (b) what EI really is.

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

There is a paradox when it comes to Darwinian ideas within the academy. On one hand, Darwin's theories have famously changed the foundational ideas related to the origins of life, shaping entire disciplines in the biological sciences. On the other hand, people in educated societies across the globe today are famously misinformed and uneducated about Darwinian principles and ideas. Applications of evolutionary theory outside the traditional areas of biology have been slow to progress, and scholars doing such work regularly run into all kinds of political backlash. However, a slow but steady push to advance the teaching of evolution across academic disciplines has been under way for more than a decade. This book serves to integrate the vast literature in the interdisciplinary field of Evolutionary Studies (EvoS), providing clear examples of how evolutionary concepts relate to all facets of life. Further, this book provides chapters dedicated to the processes associated with an EvoS education, including examples of how an interdisciplinary approach to evolutionary theory has been implemented successfully at various colleges, universities, and degree programs. This book also offers chapters outlining a variety of applications to an evolution education, including improved sustainable development, medical practices, and creative and critical thinking skills. Exploring controversies surrounding evolution education, this volume provides a roadmap to asking and answering Darwinian questions across all areas of intellectual inquiry.

Congratulations on declaring your psychology major! Psychology is among the most popular majors in college today yet, it's possible that you chose it without realizing how very broad and technical the field is. Not to worry. In this book, you'll get a bird's eye view of the whole curriculum, from rat mazes and statistics to abnormal psychology and psychotherapy, and you'll dive into some of the field's most enduring debates. Beyond the what and why of the psychology major, this book provides you with tips you can put into practice from day one. These include: How to maximize your learning inside and outside the classroom Advice on landing a solid internship Where to find research and service opportunities Steps for applying (and paying) for graduate programs When you finish this book, you'll have a clear idea of why you're learning what you're learning, and how the skills you build in your psychology major will help you solve real-world problems. You'll be able to take an active hand in your education-and own your psychology major.

Human intelligence is sexually attractive, and strongly predicts the success of sexual relationships, but the behavioral sciences have usually ignored the interface between intelligence and mating. This is the first serious scholarly effort to explore that interface, by examining both universals and individual differences in human mating intelligence. Contributors include some of the most prominent evolutionary psychologists and promising new researchers in human intelligence, social psychology, intimate relationships, and sexuality.
David Buss' Foreword and the opening chapter explore what ' mating intelligence' means, and why it is central to human cognition and sexuality. The book' s six sections then examine (1) our mating mechanisms-- universal emotional and cognitive adaptations for mating intelligently-- that guide mate search, mate choice, and courtship; (2) how mating intelligence strategically guides our choice of mating tactics and partners given different relationship goals, personality traits, forms of deception, and the existence of children; (3) the genetic and psychiatric causes of individual differences in mating intelligence; (4) how we use mental fitness indicators-- forms of human intelligence such as creativity, humor, and emotional intelligence-- to attract and retain sexual partners; (5) the ecological and social contexts of mating intelligence; (6) integrative models of mating intelligence that can guide future research.
"Mating Intelligence" is intended forresearchers, advanced students, and courses in human sexuality, intimate relationships, intelligence research, behavior genetics, and evolutionary, personality, social, and clinical psychology.