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The reason is evolution. Until a few years ago, there was no effective way for a man to know that a given child was his, or not.

Do you know five married couples with children? Chances are one of the men is not the father of one of his kids. In a study conducted in the North East, while studying inheritance of breast cancer, the researchers DNA typed all babies born in the hospitals that were part of the study, as well as the mothers and reported fathers. To their surprise they found out that one in five babies was not their father's child. That's 20%.

Most of the general traits of behavior can be shown to increase reproductive success. We are attracted to people with young features, because fertility is higher at a younger age. Clear skin is attractive while blemishes and acne is not. People with clear skin tend to be more fertile than those with blemishes.

In a similar fashion, back in the Stone Age, a man that wasted his time and resources rearing other men's children would be less likely to get his own children into the next generation. A man that jealously watched over his mate's goings on, especially if he was also threatening to any male that got too familiar with his female, would get more of his offspring into the next generation; he would be reproductively more successful. Thus more of his offspring would make it into the next generation, and the jealousy trait would be passed on more than the non-jealousy trait.

The same genes that make women feel attracted to alpha males; read that as successful, powerful and strong players are the ones that make those alpha males watchful and jealous of other males. After all, the trend for promiscuity in males also leads to greater reproductive success.

We may like to think that we direct our behavior, but in reality, much of what we do every day is just what we inherited from Hug Rockbreaker (The caveman in the Geico commercial)

Learn more about this author, Pedro Miranda.
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