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The selfish goal meets the selfish gene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2014

Steven L. Neuberg  and
Mark Schaller
Steven L. Neuberg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104. steven.neuberg@asu.eduhttp://psychology.clas.asu.edu/neuberg
Mark Schaller
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. schaller@psych.ubc.cahttp://neuron4.psych.ubc.ca/~schallerlab
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Abstract

The connection between selfish genes and selfish goals is not merely metaphorical. Many goals that shape contemporary cognition and behavior are psychological products of evolutionarily fundamental motivational systems and thus are phenotypic manifestations of genes. An evolutionary perspective can add depth and nuance to our understanding of “selfish goals” and their implications for human cognition and behavior.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 153 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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