This article introduces evolutionary psychology to a general readership, with the purpose of applying evolutionary psychology to suicide terrorism. Some of the key concepts related to evolutionary psychology are discussed, as well as several misconceptions associated with this approach to psychology. We argue that one of the primary, but insufficient, motivating factors for suicide terrorism is strong religious belief. Evolutionary psychological theories related to religious belief, and supporting empirical work, are described, laying a foundation for examining suicide terrorism. Several promising directions for future research on suicide terrorism from an evolutionary psychological perspective are highlighted, particularly within the theoretical framework of kin selection, and the implications of applying evolutionary psychology to suicide terrorism are discussed.

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We review and discuss the evolutionary psychological literature on violence, homicide, and war in humans and nonhumans, and in doing so argue that an evolutionary perspective can substantially enhance our understanding of these behaviors. We provide a brief primer on evolutionary psychology, describing the basic tenets of the field. The theories of sexual selection and parental investment are explained and subsequently used to highlight the evolutionary logic underlying the use of violence by humans and other animals. Our examination of violent behavior begins with a focus on nonhuman animals, reviewing the different contexts in which violence occurs and discussing how an evolutionary perspective can explain why it occurs in these contexts. We then examine violence in humans and illustrate the similarities and differences between human and nonhuman violence. Finally, we summarize what an evolutionary perspective can offer in terms of understanding violence, homicide, and war, and discuss directions for future research.

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) has been shown to negatively correlate with attractiveness, health, youthfulness, and the reproductive potential of females, which arguably explains why men tend to perceive women with lower WHRs as more attractive. Additionally, it has recently been hypothesized that men are attracted to feminine ranges of WHR even when the actual sex of the target is ambiguous. The current study tests the hypothesis that lower WHRs are reliably associated with women and higher WHRs with men, thus serving as a proximate mechanism by which men find lower WHRs more attractive. An online survey was developed in which line drawings of human waists and hips, with WHRs ranging from 0.65 to 0.95 and no cues for sex identification, were presented to participants who were then asked to infer the sex of the drawings. Results from 72 men and 49 women indicate an increasing frequency of "female" identifications as WHR decreases. Both men and women exhibit high inter-rater reliability in associating low WHRs with women and high WHRs with men. The implications of these findings are discussed, and directions for future research are highlighted.