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Basic emotions underlie both proximal and distal behaviors, resulting in social institutions that are either adaptive, vestigial, or a little of both

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2026

Joseph Polimeni Open the ORCID record for Joseph Polimeni [Opens in a new window]
Joseph Polimeni*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Bannatyne Campus, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada jpolimeni@shaw.ca
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

The concept of super-attracters downplays the impact of basic emotions upon decision-making. The complexity of emotions belies the instinctual nature of such emotional systems, which are ultimately established by genetics and evolutionary processes. Examples of super-attractants may perhaps be better framed as evolutionary adaptiveness versus vestigial/byproduct behaviors.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e306
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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