Oct 10 - Evolution, emotions, and food

Question 1

Emotions as adaptations:

Who said…

Emotions “mobilize the organism to deal quickly with important situations, prepared to do so by what types of activity have been adaptive in the past.”

Answer 1

Emotions as adaptations:

Emotions “mobilize the organism to deal quickly with important situations, prepared to do so by what types of activity have been adaptive in the past.”

(Ekman, 1999, p. 2)

Question 2

What does “adaptive in the past” mean?

Some things that may have been different:
• Danger from ________
• Danger from _______ (food safety, infectious diseases)
• Danger from _____ ______ (war, murder)
• _____ _______ rates
• _____ structures (size and organization)
• What’s ________ to eat

These are an example of our ___________ __ __________ __________ (___)

Answer 2

What does “adaptive in the past” mean?

Some things that may have been different:
• Danger from predators
• Danger from microbes (food safety, infectious diseases)
• Danger from other humans (war, murder)
• Child mortality rates
• Social structures (size and organization)
• What’s available to eat

These are examples of our **environment of evolutionary adaptedness **(EEA)

Question 3

An evolutionary account of emotion: Emotions are defined by…

1. _______ situation in the EEA that presents an _______ problem
2. Situation has ________ _____
3. Individuals evolve algorithms that _____ cues and ____ situations from them
4. Organism assigns ______ to the situation
5. Organism ________ response systems

Answer 3

An evolutionary account of emotion:

1. Recurrent situation in the EEA that presents an adaptive problem
2. Situation has available cues
3. Individuals evolve algorithms that **detect **cues and infer situations from them
4. Organisms assign priority to the situation
5. Organisms mobilizes response systems

Question 4

Who said:

“In the developed world, we now have an excess of food. The worry has shifted from having too little to eat, to having too much”

Processed foods. “The human biological urge for sweets, and probably fats, can be indulged with foods that are higher in both than any in nature.”

Answer 4

“In the developed world, we now have an excess of food. The worry has shifted from having too little to eat, to having too much”

Processed foods. “The human biological urge for sweets, and probably fats, can be indulged with foods that are higher in both than any in nature.”

(Rozin, p. 5)

Question 5

T/F: “conventionalities of man’s contriving is a matter of

psychological consequence.”

Answer 5

False

…“conventionalities of man’s contriving is a matter of no

psychological consequence whatever.”

James (1884, p. 6)

Question 6

Food, evolution, and culture

1. •  Humans need ____ to stay alive
2. •  Ancestral environments (EEA) presented _______ problems
3. •  Humans evolved _________ to solve those problems in the form of…

… _____ and _____

… Conditioned _____ _________

… ________

T/F: Modern environment is different from the EEA

Answer 6

Food, evolution, and culture

1. •  Humans need food to stay alive
2. •  Ancestral environments (EEA) presented adaptive problems
3. •  Humans evolved adaptations to solve those problems in the form of…

…Smell and taste

… Conditioned taste aversions

… Pleasure

True: Modern environment is different from the EEA

Question 7

Food, evolution, and culture: EEA

1. EEA: good food was _____
2. EEA: high risk of ___________
3. EEA: short ____ __________

Answer 7

Food, evolution, and culture: EEA

1. EEA: good food was scarce
2. EEA: high risk of contamination
3. EEA: short **life expectancies **

Question 8

Food, evolution, and culture: Adaptations

1. Adaptation: eat more when food is ________
2. Adaptation: ______ preference for high calorie foods (sugar, fat)
3. Adaptation: easily-conditioned food _________ and ________
4. Lack of adaptations: ____ ________
   ________ to avoid chronic diseases

“we have adapted to eat foods we like, when they’re available (i.e. fats, sugars) while not eating foods we don’t like. “

Answer 8

Food, evolution, and culture: Adaptations

1. Adaptation: eat more when food is available
2. Adaptation: innate preference for high calorie foods (sugar, fat)
3. Adaptation: easily-conditioned food preferences and aversions
4. Lack of adaptations: weak selection
   * *pressure** to avoid chronic diseases

“we have adapted to eat foods we like, when they’re available (i.e. fats, sugars) while not eating foods we don’t like. “

Question 9

Food, evolution, and culture: Modern times

1. Modern times: “In the developed world,
   we now have an excess of food. The worry
   has shifted from having ___ ____ to eat, to
   having ___ ____” (Rozin, p. 5)
2. Modern times: Processed foods. “The
   human biological urge for _____, and
   probably ____, can be indulged with foods
   that are higher in both than any in
   nature.” (Rozin, p. 5)
3. Modern times: low risk of ___________
4. Modern times: _____ _______, _______,
   _________ ________.

Answer 9

Food, evolution, and culture: Modern times

1. Modern times: “In the developed world,
   we now have an excess of food. The worry has shifted from having too little to eat, to having too much” (Rozin, p. 5)
2. Modern times: Processed foods. “The
   human biological urge for sweets, and
   probably fats, can be indulged with foods
   that are higher in both than any in
   nature.” (Rozin, p. 5)
3. Modern times: low risk of contamination
4. Modern times: heart disease, diabetes,
   metabolic syndrome