Why would fatherhood have anything to do with cuckoldry? How would the biology of being a dad lend itself in any way to cuckoldry? Bear with me as we dive into the science of fatherhood, the biological changes that men go through when they become a father.
When you look at human evolution, hormones, and the messy cocktail of emotions that come with relationships and parenting it begins to make sense. Men aren’t just programmed to either love or hate the idea of cuckoldry — it’s more complicated than that. Some guys are biologically set up to be caring and nurturing, while others have underlying psychological triggers that make them react strongly (in different ways) to the idea of their partner being with someone else.
Okay, so we know that men are biologically wired to be protective of their offspring. That’s where the psychology of cuckoldry comes in — because nothing triggers that protective instinct more than the possibility that the kid you’re raising isn’t actually yours.
From an evolutionary standpoint, cuckoldry is a total disaster for men. If you’re devoting time and resources to raising a kid that isn’t carrying your genes, that’s a win for the human race but a major biological loss for your lineage. That’s why men have evolved to be hyper-sensitive and reactionary to even the slightest sign of infidelity. Today we are going to discuss the biology behind fatherhood, why testosterone and other hormones play such a huge role, and why cuckoldry hits so differently for different men.
Let’s take it way back to when our ancestors were still figuring out how to survive. Most male mammals don’t really stick around after mating. In the animal kingdom, the typical strategy for a male is to mate as much as possible and then peace out. More partners mean more offspring, which theoretically increases the chances that at least some of those kids will survive and pass on the genes.
But human males took a different path. Why?…
