The world’s earliest seafarers who reached remote Pacific islands nearly 3,000 years ago were a matrilocal society, with communities organized around the female lineage, researchers said, citing studies of ancient DNA.
The research, based on genetic sequencing of 164 people who lived 2,800 to 300 years ago, suggested that some of the earliest inhabitants of islands in Oceania had population structures in which women almost always remained in their communities after marriage, while men left their mother’s community to live with that of their wife.
This pattern is strikingly different from that of patrilocal societies, which appeared to be the norm in
Chen, Du, Ge); Université Toulouse 1 Capitole (
Micheletti) The evolutionary basis of our preferences and the cultural evolutionary dynamics of our beliefs drive behavioural change, so understanding these evolutionary processes can help inform individual and government decision-making in the face of a pandemic. Before a vaccine for COVID-19 had been developed, and until it is widely available, stopping the spread of the virus must rely on behaviour change by limiting contact between people. In practice, being told to limit in-person contact with other people is challenging. This paper outlines how an evolutionary perspective on behaviour change - one that acknowledges that individuals are expected to act to maximise their inclusive fitness (i.e., spreading our genes), rather than to act for the good of the group - can provide insights not only around issues with physical/social distancing but with other elements of the COVID-19 response.