What is the default pattern of human mating behaviour?

[Perfection]

I wanna make a couple points here.

First is, you need to define a normal environment here. It seems likely that there would have been multiple different environments in the precivilized and that those differences would manifest in different mating behavior. We could have multiple systems, each of which were fairly normal and widespread.

Second is, we need to recognize that people have different personalities as a consequence of very fine biological differences. We might find that there's a spectrum of behaviors or possibly specific roles a person may be born to play. To simply pick some average value as the default would be quite misleading!

[Elok]

There is no default pattern. Different customs emerged at different times, and even today they vary widely around the world. Monogamy is the most stable, though now we of The West (TM) are apparently settling for serial monogamy.

[dannubis]

Yeah right, monogamy is the most stable in the eyes of a religion that seems to have made the eradication of everything pleasant about nature it(')s sole purpose.

[Heraclitus]

Monogamy isn't about limiting sex dannubis (tho religion certainly sees that as a good side effect) its about keeping most (the average and below average) males invested in the system.


Monogamy is sexual socialism for men, it in theory gives each man a woman and a fair chance at having kids that are likley his.

[dannubis]

Monogamy is something to aspire to according to our moral system. There are societies in which polygamy works perfectly fine.

[Heraclitus]

Where did I say only socialism works?

There is no problem with men having more than one women if their productivity offsets the lost productivity of the beta and gamma males. This is especially true if you can coax the gammas to be productive despite not having a mate. A celibate priesthood could do the trick, or perhaps monastic orders or martydom or war with neighbouring lands.

[Elok]

Yeah right, monogamy is the most stable in the eyes of a religion that seems to have made the eradication of everything pleasant about nature it(')s sole purpose.

...and what do you do with all the pissed-off single men? Or women if polyandry is the case, but I don't know how common that is by comparison. Jealousy seems inevitable in either case. Polygamy is destabilizing by nature.

[Heraclitus]

...and what do you do with all the pissed-off single men? Or women if polyandry is the case, but I don't know how common that is by comparison. Jealousy seems inevitable in either case. Polygamy is destabilizing by nature.

Polyandry dosen't usually work that way. I think in most of those societies women support themselves and their children while behaving relativley promisciusly (something like having open relationships withe the main partner being throw out of the house and replaced every few years).