The Evolutionary Rationale Of Homosexuality
Is there any answer at all, or does the theory of evolution reach its limits here?
Evolutionary biologists, led by Darwin, assume that we and all the creatures around us have evolved through natural selection.
Natural selection is a process by which species of animals and plants that are best adapted to their environment survive and reproduce, while those that are less well adapted die out. — source
Accordingly, those traits that offer a competitive advantage to the individual, but also promote the welfare and survival of the species as a whole, prevail.
So it’s mainly about survival and reproduction.
Evolutionary psychologists assume that this is also how our mating strategies evolved. For men, having sex with as many women as possible increases their chances of reproducing, while women tend to focus on quality rather than quantity. After all, they have to invest a lot of time and energy in pregnancy. Therefore, they are choosy and try to get the best possible genes.
Of course, this is a very simple and generalized way of putting it, but in evolutionary terms, based purely on the biological goal of reproduction, these strategies of the sexes make sense.
It should be noted that these are obviously not our explicit goals when having sex, but rather the biological goals anchored in our genes from which our drives and preferences have evolved.
In fact, this can indeed be observed in reality. Men are clearly more interested in casual sex and usually have a higher sex drive. Women, on the other hand, are clearly more selective in their choice of partner.
What About Gay People?
Why are there so many gay people?
At first glance, this seems to invalidate the evolutionary view. After all, homosexual people usually do not reproduce.
Or can Darwin’s theory of evolution be compatible with homosexuality after all?
In a paper published in 2020 by Barren and Hare, they write that sex is not only for reproduction, but also has social benefits.
Because of these social aspects, the characteristic of homosexuality could have persisted through natural selection.
In many prosocial mammals, sex has adopted new social functions in contexts of social bonding, social reinforcement, appeasement, and play. We argue that for humans the social functions and benefits of sex apply to same-sex sexual behavior as well as heterosexual behavior. As a consequence, we propose a degree of SSSA, was selected for in recent human evolution for its non-conceptive social benefits.
Note to quote: SSSA stands for same-sex sexual attraction.
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