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> And then, evolution found a way to add a "notch filter" such that despite increased attraction to closely related individuals, most animals (including humans)
by nly 1y ago
> And then, evolution found a way to add a "notch filter" such that despite increased attraction to closely related individuals, most animals (including humans) are repulsed sexually by their parents and siblings.
Not being attracted sexually to close relatives is likely the result of early imprinting when growing up under one roof, and not genetics. Indeed there is some evidence relatives separated at birth etc who meet later are more likely to unwittingly be attracted to one another.
- jiggawatts 1y agoIt's obviously imprinting, but the mechanism for that imprinting is implemented in your neurons, which are defined by your genes. Ultimately, it's a "feature" that wouldn't be there if it wasn't for something in your genes encoding for it! The question is how is that encoded, not just in your genes, but in the final neurons? There are hundreds of trillions of synapses in the brain that a few megabytes of genes somehow shaped into: "be attracted to faces almost, but not exactly like your parents"... but not actually repulsed, because you have to get along nicely with your parents and not just run away in terror.