People respond to other people and seek social acceptance precisely because of social motives that have evolved to help them survive in groups--and to survive more generally.
Natural selection: survival of the fittest: one individual's genes
Kin selection: inclusive fitness: genetic relatives
Group selection: group-level adaptation: unrelated members of social unit
Social survival: core configurations: individual in group ===>across all three levels
People who are more socially integrated survive better (House et al 1998). People who report having no sources of emotional support are twice as likely to die after a heart attack as people who report having two or more (Berkman 1995). People's very life is affected by their social ties.
Social groups defend people against environment hazards, predators, and hostile outsides. Compelling evidence supports the idea that people are, in effect, adapted for living in social groups. Survival is easier in groups, and physical health is better in relationships.
Our responsiveness to social situations---and therefore their considerable impact---results from evolutionary pressures for individuals to survive in groups. Other people constitute our evolutionary niche.
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