Food and Relationships

Food and the Evolution of Society

In our early evolutionary history, food was scarce, and great efforts were made just to obtain foodstuffs to eat. During this time, sharing food became a valued strategy to gain access to more resources, aide survival, or increase mating opportunities. Societies used four major strategies of food sharing, sometimes in combination with one another, to gain access to these benefits.

The kinship model (or kin selection-based nepotism) describes food sharing between kin; it predicts that food sharing should be more prevalent among individuals who are closer in genealogical relatedness. Consistent with evolutionary theory, kinship food sharing is thought to increase gene survival and reproductive success of offspring and related family members. In most societies, food sharing is more prevalent among family members than strangers, especially for younger and older kin who cannot provide for themselves.

The costly signaling model holds that food is used as a status symbol and mating strategy. Men with the biggest food production or displays of bravery during a hunt are revered in their communities and prove that they can provide for their women and families. In addition to providing nutrients, food sharing is a way to display power and gain a selective mating advantage.

According to the reciprocal altruism model, sharing food is an important way to keep food on the table during times of scarceness and allows for gestures of goodwill between families and tribes. Showing goodwill and a desire to work with other groups establishes mutually reciprocal relationships, in which each group consistently helps the other. This model describes an ongoing equal trade between groups, using such commodities as money or other traded goods. By creating trustworthy relationships, food is used to build bridges between different groups.

A final model of food transfer is described as tolerated scrounging, in which individuals give up their food to another person without expectation of return. This can encompass making donations to a beggar or giving up food to a thief. Generally, transfers of this kind occur when the cost of protecting the food is less than the benefit of giving it up.

Demographic Influences of Food Preferences

Food choices are associated with family-related demographics. For example, in genetic studies, twins show similarities in ratings of hunger, the amount of food eaten, and liking of foods beyond what can be explained by the environment. In the [Page 693]nature-nurture debate, our relatives have some impact on the way we perceive and consume food.

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