A study just published in the journal Biological Sciences confirms the hypothesis formulated in 2016 by the American psychiatrist Shana Cole, of the University of New York, to explain how we can remain faithful: we only have eyes for our partner, so that even the most persuasive of extra-marital adventures loses all charm .
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The secret of fidelity
For libertines like Don Giovanni or Casanova the problem, the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said in the 19th century, is not so much seducing a girl, as finding one worthy of being seduced. Those who are faithful have a similar problem, but for opposite reasons: in their mind a mechanism is triggered that the New York psychiatrist has called perceptual downgrading effect, that is perceptual derating effect which is stronger the more the relationship with your partner is satisfactory. When you are satisfied with your life as a couple, you will never find anyone more interesting, more beautiful or more lovable than your partner or, in the case of a woman, your partner. The phenomenon refers to the well-known Neapolitan saying “every cockroach likes his mother” which in a free psychological review in this case could become: “every cockroach likes his wife”.
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Protective mechanisms of self-control
But why did this mechanism develop? The psychiatrists directed by Shana Cole in their study with the emblematic title “In the Eye of the Betrothed” that is “In the eyes of the Betrothed” that reminds us Italians of the romantic love of Renzo and Lucia in the famous opera by Manzoni, are limited to define this behavior as a perceptual alteration induced by unconscious self-control mechanisms aimed at protecting long-term goals, such as marriage.
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Evolutionary advantage: longevity
The real reason seems to be provided by the study now published by US researchers from Duke, Notre Dame and Princeton universities, directed by Susan Alberts, which indicates how this type of behavior has been maintained since prehistoric times because it offers an important evolutionary advantage: longevity. The researchers found confirmation of this in 540 monkeys studied for 35 years in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park: primates that maintained a stable relationship with their partner throughout their lives had a life expectancy increased by 28 percent compared to those who were more libertines.
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An advantage especially for males
The gains are mainly made by males who, for the purpose of reproduction, can thus exploit both their first fertile years and those of old age. Over half of these monkeys typically die after the fertile age of 8 to 13 years. But in the most faithful physiological settlements of long life are established that allow years to be added to life and life to years. They develop good blood sugar control, heart rhythm and less axis activation HPA, acronym of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, that is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the control system of the neuroendocrine response to stress and therefore of body homeostasis.
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The explanation comes from afar
“How are behavioral attitudes internalized to increase life expectancy – asks Professor Susan Alberts of Duke University, principal author of the study -? We don’t know yet, but it’s one of the most wonderful black boxes I’ve come across. It will take more studies to understand how close ties can affect physiological mechanisms to extend lifespan, but everything suggests that their powerful effect has deep evolutionary roots in the primate family tree. ”
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Faithful friends
Fidelity in friendships also seems to have similar effects, albeit less strong, than couple fidelity: in macaques, for example, cultivating close friendships with friends reduces the activation of the HPA axis with consequent greater protection against social and environmental stress. This was discovered in July by another group of Austro-German-Dutch researchers led by Jorg Nassen of the University of Utrecht who published a study on long-tailed macaques (macaca fascicularis) in the proceedings of the Royal Society of Science, highlighting how only when one of these primates performs a task, such as a hunting trip, together with a close friend rather than with another member of the group, a low concentration of cortisol (the so-called stress hormone) is detected in his saliva, a sign that indicates reduced HPA activation.
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More affected equals less cortisol
Even in humans, excess cortisol is always to be avoided because hyper-cortisolemia induces many harmful effects such as hypertension, obesity, muscle weakness, intolerance to sugars up to diabetes, etc. If we want to follow the Darwinian theories according to which we derive from apes, fidelity, both in love and in friendships, therefore repays us in health and longevity. Not to mention the psychological “refreshments” it bestows on both men and women.
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18 December 2020 (change December 18, 2020 | 17:40)
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