Swiroset.com

The death of Michael Jackson is a reminder of the vitality of America’s (and the world’s) celebrity cult. The intensity of the global public response leads one to wonder: why is society so deeply affected by the death of a person who was known for his strange behavior and questionable judgment? Evolutionary psychology provides a useful perspective.

When evolutionary psychologists observe that a behavior is widespread and common in a particular species, they first seek to find out if the behavior is “adaptive,” that is, beneficial from a reproductive point of view. Hero worship is interesting in this regard because we find versions of it in all societies. Our earliest recorded literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh, dealt primarily with the lives of two heroes. From Odysseus to Elvis, great artists have drawn veneration. Why?

Public performance can be understood as a form of genetic signaling. This is one of the reasons young animals play. When puppies frolic and run playfully, they are sending very serious messages to future competitors and future mates about their genetic fitness. A puppy that is especially big or fast at play communicates with competitors (“you won’t want to mess with me when I grow up”) and future mates (“my genes are the best, you will have great children with me”).

It makes sense, therefore, for young people to enjoy the game (they do) and be big “show-offs” (they are). In fact, the whole purpose of the game, from an evolutionary perspective, is precisely to “show” our exceptional genetic aptitude. As we get older and become sexually active adults, we don’t actually stop playing. Instead, our game becomes deadly serious (we started calling it “work” or “art”), and many of us become even more extreme “show-offs.” It will be better than us. Our “performances” at work or at social events are the most likely indicators of whether or not we will be successful in the reproductive market.

Although there are many ways to display genetic fitness, humans seem to be especially attuned to verbal, musical, or athletic performance. Our top politicians, actors, musicians, and sports stars receive overwhelming adulation. Verbal and musical displays probably evolved as a form of competitive play intended to signal intelligence. “Playing the Dozens” and hip-hop contests probably have roots in human behavior dating back hundreds of thousands of years. As humans evolved into more intelligent creatures, the pressure of sexual selection put a premium on displays correlated with intelligence.

Therefore, when music superstars perform in public, they are inserting an ancient evolutionary key into a special lock in our brains. When the key turns, we receive a stimulating blast of dopamine, the cerebral version of cocaine, the latest feel-good drug.

What’s fascinating about public performance is that it feels good to both the artist and the audience. Again, from an evolutionary perspective, this is to be expected. The actor’s brain is being rewarded because evolution has given us a great boost (a dose of dopamine) so that we can show off successfully as long as we can get away with it. Doing so maximizes our chances of attracting a desirable partner. Showing off feels good. Showing off in front of a large audience feels like great.

The audience also finds their brain rewarded for evolution, but for different reasons. Why do we enjoy seeing exceptional performances? There are three reasons. First, spectacular performances are, in a sense, “instructive.” Humans are the most imitative species on earth. Much of our intelligence has to do with our ability to model and mimic adaptive behavior. It makes sense that we pay special attention to superior performance of any kind – the more we enjoy it, the more we pay attention to it, and the more likely we are to learn something from it. Second, if we feel that we are socially or emotionally attached to the actor, we are encouraged by the greater possibility that we or our offspring share the genetic generosity represented by that actor. Third, the more we ingratiate ourselves with the actor, since by showing submissive and worshipful behavior, the more likely we will win the esteem of the artist and, with it, the opportunity to mate with him and endow our offspring with the superior artist genes. .

It seems likely that humans have been programmed by evolution to become rock stars or groupies (or both). The path we take depends on our location within the competitive space of our generation’s gene pool. If we are the best singers or dancers of our generation, we will be tempted to act: the rewards, both in terms of dopamine delights in our brain and in the attention of sexually attractive partners, could be enormous.

Unfortunately, while it makes sense, from an evolutionary perspective, that members of our species are drawn to musical genius, it doesn’t necessarily make sense from an individual perspective. Many people have learned this in the most concrete way, marrying musicians (I did). My oldest son inherited an exceptional musical talent, so my genes are happy. My genes never cared about my wife’s operatic temperament (she’s a mezzo-soprano), that was purely my business. Evolution promises us adorable children; does not promise us a rose garden.

Michael Jackson fans have been misled to some degree by evolution. Watching the astonishing twists and masterful singing of the Glove released entire oceans of his brain dopamine, but that didn’t change the fact that their hero was a very strange man.

In fact, the life of Michael Jackson represents the complete opposite of wisdom, the opposite of what one should admire or try to emulate in a role model. Dopamine discharges can be addictive, just like cocaine. Young Michael’s success as a child prodigy may have destroyed his chances of being happy as an adult. He could never get over the Peter Pan ecstasies he achieved as a child star, so he spent his life in a perpetual attempt to remain a child. This is already very unhealthy in your 20s or 30s. At 40 or 50, it is a sign of mental illness.

Evolution has left our brains vulnerable to deceptive evolutionary clues. Fortunately, he has also provided us with an alarm system called “reason.” We can learn to recognize our ancient evolutionary triggers for precisely what they are: stimuli to do things that may or may not be good for us. Nothing can stop dopamine from flowing once our fingers start snapping “I’m Bad”, but our reason can keep us from taking the whole thing too seriously. And should

We must not underestimate the pleasures and delights of participating in shows. Whether we find ourselves cheering at a sports stadium or a jazz concert, our delight is deep and real. We should enjoy this joy: it is one of the highlights of the human experience. However, we should look for role models in the people we really know and trust around us, not the musical superstars, no matter how talented they are.