Category Archives: Exaptation

Reflections on the Costs of Evolved Self-Awareness: Comparing Trajectories of Davids—Foster Wallace & Insurgent

I’m going to be writing on the costly implications of self-awareness in a forthcoming book & was walking around listening to Reagan Youth on Spotify & David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest on Audible when some parallels occurred to me. I’ll … Continue reading

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Towards a Bottom-Up Approach to Self-Deception

As I read John Hartung’s 1988 chapter on “self-deceiving down,” I am further convinced of the nonsense of arguing about theoretical distinctions & that we are considering the issue at too high a conceptual level to understand the influence of … Continue reading

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Are We Confusing Self-Deceptive Enhancement with Illusory Superiority?

A New Statesman post by Uta Frith found its way to me this morning via a Tweet by @SteveSilberman with the catchphrase, “Men are more likely to think their IQ is 5 pts higher than it is, and women think theirs … Continue reading

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Posted in Adaptation, Evolution and Psychology, Exaptation, Hypotheses | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pivoting around Smartphones & Cigarettes: Evolved to Play in Extra-structural Interludes

Smartphones are like cigarettes are like junk food are like chewing your nails or doodling.  Right.  What do they have in common?  Easy.  Things we do when we’re bored.  Bored in my class?  Doodle.  There were some amazing Jurassic landscapes … Continue reading

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Posted in Anthropology, Exaptation, Theory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

The Spandrels of Dunkin Donuts, or How the Munchkin Came to Be

Anyone who has been to the Northeast is likely familiar with the miniature Dunkin Donuts confection the donut hole, aka the Munchkin. After an unsuccessful online search, I called headquarters to learn more about the history of this sweet, only … Continue reading

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Posted in Evolution and Psychology, Evolution by Natural Selection, Exaptation, Rosemarie Sokol Chang | 5 Comments