Animals can fake their evolutionary fitness in a number of ways. Humans do it too. While this may seem like we’re corrupting our gene pool it might not be so bad.
In evolutionary biology, fitness refers to an organism’s ability to survive, reproduce, and pass on its genes. It’s a core concept in evolution, where animals with traits that enhance fitness are more likely to thrive. Mates look for a high level of fitness because evolution-wise these are the best of the bunch. But some animals pretend that they are more fit than they are. This is called fitness faking. They use tricks to appear stronger, healthier, or more attractive. For example, male peacocks display extravagant feathers to woo mates, even though their tail size doesn’t always correlate with their actual health. Some frogs inflate their bodies to seem larger, while certain fish brighten their colors to suggest vitality. These exaggerated signals give them an edge in attracting mates, even if they don’t always reflect true genetic fitness.
Fitness Faking in Humans
Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist, takes this idea of fitness faking and applies it to human behavior. Just like animals, humans have evolved ways to signal their fitness to potential mates, but with much more complexity.
Fitness faking often revolves around enhancing physical appearance. In evolutionary terms, beauty, youth, and health signal fertility. Thus, to appear more desirable, women use makeup, fashion, or cosmetic surgery to create the illusion of youth and health, tapping into ancient biological instincts that men have evolved to seek out.
Men men tend to fake fitness by projecting wealth and status. Historically, a man’s ability to provide resources was key to his attractiveness, so men focus on curating an image of wealth and power. These signals of wealth, even if financed by debt, can create the impression of fitness by showing the ability to provide and succeed.
Is Fitness Faking Messing Up Our Gene Pool?
At first glance, this modern fitness faking seems to be hacking our evolutionary programming. We’ve evolved to trust cues like beauty and wealth as indicators of genetic fitness, the traits that historically ensured survival, and the passing on of strong genes. But with today’s ability to artificially enhance appearance or project wealth, the reliability of these signals has come into question. Is fitness faking undermining our ability to select genetically fit mates?
But in the modern world, raw genetic fitness might be less important than the ability to project success. Maintaining an attractive appearance or signaling wealth often requires long-term thinking, adaptability, and self-discipline—qualities crucial for success in contemporary society. So while fitness faking may seem like a biological hack, it often reflects deeper traits that signal a different kind of fitness.
Fitness faking isn’t only about deception. The traits needed to enhance signals—intelligence, discipline, and social savvy—are still vital for thriving in modern life. We’re not just signaling good genes anymore; we’re signaling the ability to succeed in an ever-changing world. In that sense, the ability to fake fitness might actually be an evolved skill, a reflection of a broader, more adaptable form of human fitness.
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