The Mating Mind
by Geoffrey Miller · first published 2000
60% recommend33% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Argues that sexual choice, not just survival, shaped human traits like intelligence and creativity. It is an accessible, provocative take on evolutionary psychology for curious general readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller shows the evolutionary power of sexual choice and the reasons why our ancestors became attracted not only to pretty faces and healthy bodies, but to minds that were witty, articulate, generous, and conscious. The richness and subtlety of modern psychology help to reveal how the human mind evolved, like the peacock's tail and the elk's antlers for courtship and mating.". "Drawing on new ideas from evolutionary biology economics, and psychology, Miller illuminates his arguments with examples ranging from natural history to popular culture, from the art
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…who downgrade my comment should put that PC stuff aside, and consider reading about the evolution of sexuality. Such as "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" by Matt Ridley, and "The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature" by Geoffrey Miller. All your wishful thinking will never make women and men the same.
on “Widespread sex differences in gene expression in the human brain (2013)” ↗…1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?] 3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller 4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham 5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em>…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…recommend to start with Dawkins' books (The Greatest Show on Earth, The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene), and then to read "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" by Matt Ridley, and "The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature" by Geoffrey Miller. And, hey, I am talking to the audience here, since it is mostly composed of men (there is a reason for it): understanding…
on “Female Founders” ↗…males and females of various species to evolve different strategies. For humans some of those strategies are obsolete, but it doesn't mean that they're gone from our brains. If you haven't, check out The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller or similar books.
I recommend you have a look at Geoffrey Miller's The Mating Mind. While I agree with what you said, I think you got the evolution part a bit wrong.Meaning that women are indeed programmed to like the smart guy. The problem is, they want both, smart and strong; and…
on “Why Being Smart Won't Get You Laid” ↗…1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?] 3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller 4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham 5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em>…
on “Ask HN: What were your naivetés in your twenties?” ↗Two books I often recommend: Geoffrey Miller, The Mating Mind Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, The Woman That Never Evolved They're probably the best, most thoroughly researched, and least political of the evolutionary bio books I've found that aren't primarily about hardcore…
on “Is There Anything Good About Men?” ↗Relative wealth is what gets you the most mating opportunities and gives your genes a competitive advantage, to put it in a pseudo-academic language. Geoffrey Miller's The Mating Mind is way more interesting and deeper than this article if you are interested in the subject. Spent is even more about relative wealth as a fitness signal, but a bit fluffier.
on “Would You Rather Be Middle Class in 2011 or Rich in 1973?” ↗…scenes", "under the covers". Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life). The Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are…
on “Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?” ↗…recommend to start with Dawkins' books (The Greatest Show on Earth, The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene), and then to read "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" by Matt Ridley, and "The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature" by Geoffrey Miller. And, hey, I am talking to the audience here, since it is mostly composed of men (there is a reason for it): understanding the…
on “Female Founders” ↗…books tries to shine light on some of the different aspects of your (first) question. Maybe the unexpected findings during the pursuit of this question will be as fascinating to you as it was to me. The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped Human Nature (2000) (Geoffrey Miller) The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature (Matt Ridley) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Queen:_Sex_and_the_Evo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Miller_(psychologist)...
on “New Virus Breaks the Rules of Infection” ↗…concept in the domain in which it was described, but the understanding that his conveyance of the material shaped in me is something I feel in my thinking every day, more than two decades later. “The Mating Mind” by Geoffrey Miller (another biologist who would do the world a favor by sticking to his domain of expertise) came to me more recently but has left a similar impression. It impeccably elaborates upon…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…to learn by themselves. Now I don't know the particulars of your situation, but have you read available literature about how human sexuality and relationships work? e.g: Pittman's Man Enough, Miller's Mating Mind, Meston's Why Women Have Sex. This might be a starting point in better understanding what's happening and why you find things difficult.
on “Mad Mike, the homeless blogger who became a millionaire overnight” ↗http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is Some good stuff there indeed. The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions. I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as "thought…
on “Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?” ↗…that has to invest more in offspring; in virtually every species studied, the choosier sex is the one that has to invest more; see, for example, Robert Trivers' famous work, or Geoffrey Miller in _The Mating Mind_: "As David Buss has emphasized, human sex differences are most apparent in short-term mating. Men are motivated to have short-term sexual flings with multiple partners than women are. Women are much…
on “Worries Over a 2-to-1 Ratio: Where the Boys Aren't ” ↗