dissertation distractions
I have been working on my MRF since July. Ug. Just saying that makes me nuts. Part of the fun is learning all kinds of new things that have no relevance to my dissertation, but are too fascinating to resist.
I read a book on the role of cooking in the evolution of human primates. It wasn't as feminist as I'd hoped (only women cook, after all). The author believes, based on his studies of other great apes, that men have used force and coercion to get access to one woman and her cooked food since the beginning of our species. Sheesh.
This morning I thought of a slightly less creepy conclusion. The other interest I have been playing with is the role of oxytocin in human bonding. Oxytocin is released when mothers bond to babies. A book was published last year exploring the role oxytocin plays in bonding pets to owners.
It makes sense to me that the evolutionary role of oxytocin bonding is to ensure the survival of infants. Without mom, babies die; the better mom pays attention to baby, the more baby survives. Male care of infants is not something our primate cousins are known for, it is not part of our evolutionary heritage. I speculate that women have a stronger, more ingrained bonding structure compared to men, and that pets and men both exploit this bonding system for their own benefit. By bonding with a woman, they get access to her cooked food in return for affection. Sweet deal.
My mother was right! She always felt that men were just pets, completely dependent on women for basic survival, but fun to have around anyway. ;-)
I read a book on the role of cooking in the evolution of human primates. It wasn't as feminist as I'd hoped (only women cook, after all). The author believes, based on his studies of other great apes, that men have used force and coercion to get access to one woman and her cooked food since the beginning of our species. Sheesh.
This morning I thought of a slightly less creepy conclusion. The other interest I have been playing with is the role of oxytocin in human bonding. Oxytocin is released when mothers bond to babies. A book was published last year exploring the role oxytocin plays in bonding pets to owners.
It makes sense to me that the evolutionary role of oxytocin bonding is to ensure the survival of infants. Without mom, babies die; the better mom pays attention to baby, the more baby survives. Male care of infants is not something our primate cousins are known for, it is not part of our evolutionary heritage. I speculate that women have a stronger, more ingrained bonding structure compared to men, and that pets and men both exploit this bonding system for their own benefit. By bonding with a woman, they get access to her cooked food in return for affection. Sweet deal.
My mother was right! She always felt that men were just pets, completely dependent on women for basic survival, but fun to have around anyway. ;-)