Conspicuous displays of consumption and benevolence might serve as “costly signals ” of desirable mate qualities. If so, they should vary strategically with manipulations of mating-related motives. The authors examined this possibility in 4 experiments. Inducing mating goals in men increased their willingness to spend on conspicuous luxuries but not on basic necessities. In women, mating goals boosted public—but not private—helping. Although mating motivation did not generally inspire helping in men, it did induce more helpfulness in contexts in which they could display heroism or dominance. Conversely, although mating motivation did not lead women to conspicuously consume, it did lead women to spend more publicly on helpful causes. Overall, romantic motives seem to produce highly strategic and sex-specific self-presentations best understood within a costly signaling framework. Key words: costly signaling, altruism, conspicuous consumption, mating goals, self-presentation We should often blush at our noblest deeds if the world were to see all their underlying motives.—Francois de La Rochefoucauld On Valentine’s Day 2003, America’s leading authority on philanthropy announced that real estate mogul Donald Trump had pledged $1 million to charity (Foundation Center, 2003). A few

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Why do people purchase proenvironmental “green ” products? We argue that buying such products can be construed as altruistic, since green products often cost more and are of lower quality than their conventional counterparts, but green goods benefit the environment for everyone. Because biologists have observed that altruism might function as a “costly signal ” associated with status, we examined in 3 experiments how status motives influenced desire for green products. Activating status motives led people to choose green products over more luxurious nongreen products. Supporting the notion that altruism signals one’s willingness and ability to incur costs for others ’ benefit, status motives increased desire for green products when shopping in public (but not private) and when green products cost more (but not less) than nongreen products. Findings suggest that status competition can be used to promote proenvironmental behavior.

Abstract: This study explores the adaptive functions and design features of self- and otherdeprecating humor. Sixty-four female and 32 male college students participated in a twopart study. In the first part, we examined the relationships among participant demographics, personality traits, and preferences for producing different types of humor. Men report using more other-deprecating humor than women do, and the use of other-deprecating humor decreases with age for both sexes. In the second part of the study, each participant listened to tape recordings of opposite-sex people who were described as having different levels of status, and who produced different types of humor; then participants rated each person’s attractiveness as a potential short-term and long-term mate. Humor type and presenter status had no effects on short-term attractiveness, but self-deprecating humor by high-status presenters (but not low-status presenters) increased long-term attractiveness for both sexes. These results are discussed in the light of sexual selection theory and costly signaling theory.

Why do people purchase pro-environmental “green ” products? We argue that buying such products can be construed as altruistic, since green products often cost more and are of lower quality than their conventional counterparts, but green goods benefit the environment for everyone. Because biologists have observed that altruism might function as a “costly signal” associated with status, we examined in three experiments how status motives influenced desire for green products. Activating status motives led people to choose green products over more luxurious non-green products. Supporting the notion that altruism signals one’s willingness and ability to incur costs for others ’ benefit, status motives increased desire for green products when shopping in public (but not private), and when green products cost more (but not less) than nongreen products. Findings suggest that status competition can promote pro-environmental behavior.

Theodosius Dobzhansky (1973) famously opined that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. In The Origins of Morality: An Evolutionary Account, Dennis Krebs argues that the scientific study of morality is as muddled as biology without an evolutionary framework. Krebs prefaces the book by noting that he is not writing with you, the 21 st century reader, in mind. Instead, he is writing for an audience of one: a white-bearded Charles Darwin, who must familiarize himself with 130 years of theoretical developments since he shared his thoughts on morality in The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1874). As such, the book offers an excellent summary of many of the epistemological underpinnings of contemporary evolutionary psychology. And, perhaps as a courtesy to Mr. Darwin, it does so without any of the popular culture references that are ubiquitous across many recent books using an evolutionary perspective to explore human behavior. This might make the book slightly less appealing to an audience expecting witticisms and cartoons, but it also makes it an easy fit as a text for courses in philosophy or psychology. Although Darwin might not appreciate the names that Krebs drops when describing