Eastwood's Brawn and Einstein's Brain: An Evolutionary Account of Dominance, Prestige, and Precarious Manhood

Abstract

Researchers have theorized that manhood is a precarious social status that requires effort to achieve. Because of this, men whose manhood is threatened react with a variety of compensatory behaviors and cognitions such as aggression, support for hierarchy, low tolerance for homosexuality, and support for war. In the following article, we argue that the precarious status of manhood is a result of evolutionary propensities and cultural forces. Specifically, men evolved in dominance hierarchies and therefore, display honest signals of strength and vigor to dissuade other men from fighting them. However, men also evolved in large, prestige-based coalitions and compete against each other to display traits that enhance a coalition. These traits can vary from physical prowess and aggression to intelligence and empathy. As culture becomes more pluralistic and modernized, traditional notions of manhood become less important and alternative avenues for achieving status become available.

Insights into Sexism: Male Status and Performance Moderates Female-Directed Hostile and Amicable Behaviour

“…As a man’s access to resources and mates (i.e. fitness) is determined by his position in a hierarchy [ 12 – 14 ], it is important for men to understand and navigate dominance hierarchies enforced through overt signals of dominance [ 15 ]. In contrast, there is no evidence that a woman’s fitness is determined by her position in a hierarchy, making overt hierarchical navigation less important.…”

Men’s Perceptions and Emotional Responses to Becoming a Caregiver Father: The Role of Individual Differences in Masculine Honor Ideals and Reputation Concerns

“…Our perspective and findings regarding low honor-oriented men are in parallel with the overall trends in gender norms and expectations shifting toward gender desegregation in work and family roles. Men who are more impervious to threats to their masculine reputation may be responding quicker to these changes by deciding to become more involved in the caregiving of their children, whereas men who are vulnerable to such threats may be more resistant to change (Winegard et al, 2014). Future research should pay more attention to the men who are actively challenging the traditional constructions of manhood, and investigate how individual men react differently to these societal changes in gender norms depending on their motivations.…”

One’s Better Half: Romantic Partners Function as Social Signals

“…Because the signaling theory of mate flaunting contends that mates are status signals, they should be flaunted to the same audiences that men target with other status signals. Although some have suggested (or seem to have suggested) this might be exclusively or primarily women (Miller, 2000), recent theory and evidence suggest, in fact, that men also-possibly even primarily-target male audiences with signals of status, dominance, and prestige (Anderson & Kilduff, 2009;Henrich & Gil-White, 2001;Puts, 2010;Winegard, Winegard, & Geary, 2014). I therefore predicted that men would flaunt to a high status man.…”