A new study found that gay men may be predisposed to nurture their nieces and nephews as a way of helping to ensure their own genes get passed down to the next generation.
But scientists have been puzzled about how these genes are perpetuated, since gay males are less likely to reproduce than straight males. Basically, why haven’t gay people gone extinct?
One idea is called the “kin selection hypothesis.” Perhaps gay men are biologically predisposed to help raise the offspring of their siblings and other relatives.
“Maybe what’s happening is they’re helping their kin reproduce more by just being altruistic towards kin,” said evolutionary psychologist Paul Vasey of the University of Lethbridge in Canada. “Kin therefore pass on more of the genes which they would share with their homosexual relatives.”
Vasey and his student Doug VanderLaan tested this hypothesis among a group of men called fa’afafine on the Pacific island of Samoa. Fa’afafine are effeminate men who are exclusively attracted to men as sexual partners, and are generally recognized and tolerated as a distinct gender category ‚Äî neither male nor female.
The researchers surveyed about 300 fa’afafine, and found that they were significantly more likely to be altruistic toward their nieces and nephews than either single men or women, or mothers or fathers. The scientists call this behavior avuncular, or uncle-like.
The fa’afafine reported being much more willing to pay medical and school fees for their nieces and nephews, to help them with homework, babysit, teach them songs and dances. And a follow-up study confirmed that fa’afafine had indeed spent more money on their young relatives than straight people.
“I am convinced that the fa’afafine have significantly higher avuncular tendencies than men and women,” Vasey told LiveScience. “And [the] latest batch of data seems to indicate that this manifests in [the] real world.”
Very interesting. I bet if they extend the study to lesbians they will find that we are just as altruistic toward our nieces and nephews. I know I am.
@Tracy Greene – I am certain they will find the same is true of lesbians. Now we need to find an island where women who like women are a distinct gender category. Mykonos?
The idea of altruism has eluded evolutionary biologists before – but the passing of genes is definitely in play, even if it is indirectly.
Ditto with Tracy. Lesbians are too often ignored in scientific studies.
It would make sense and I’m sure they are on the right track. God created us for a reason. One day, radical anti-gay activists will have to answer to Christ for trying to destroy God’s work.
And those of us gays who don’t have any nieces or nephews help the human race by being more likely to do volunteer work and other altruistic activities. I believe this is also an established sociological fact. We also help other species by nurturing the hell out of our dogs and cats and ….whatever. ;-)
I’m with you on the dogs and the altruism.
Not so much on the nephews or nieces.
Although I’ll probably, despite my best intentions, roll my eyes and do the “uncle” thing if my brother decides to reproduce.
If I have to.
A number of stereotypical lesbian professions are also like this — social worker and sports coach come to mind. So does cop, when viewed in a certain light. (Funny that there’s no feminine equivalent of “avuncular” in English — if we wanted to coin one, maybe it could be “amital” or “amitalar” from the Latin word for paternal aunt.)
I’m sure there are other, purely societal reasons lesbians tend to be overrepresented in these jobs, but perhaps there’s something else going on as well.