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Child survival is one of the most important fitness indicators in evolutionary studies. In our evolutionary past, grandparents may have increased their inclusive fitness by helping to keep their grandchildren alive.
Introduction
Humans have been often defined as a cooperative breading species, meaning that other people in addition to the biological mother of the child take part in child-rearing (Hrdy 2009). These “alloparents” are typically closely related to the child and may include the child’s father, older siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Previous studies indicate that grandparents have often been highly involved in their grandchildren’s lives in both traditional and historical populations and in contemporary societies (Coall and Hertwig 2010). By investing resources in their grandchildren, grandparents can significantly increase a grandchild’s survival (Sear and Coall 2011).
Empirical Evidence
Sear and Mace (
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References
Coall, D. A., & Hertwig, R. (2010). Grandparental investment: Past, present, and future. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 1–59.
Hrdy, S. B. (2009). Mothers and others. The evolutionary origins of mutual understanding. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Sear, R. (2008). Kin and child survival in Malawi: Are matrilineal kin always beneficial in a matrilineal society? Human Nature, 19, 277–293.
Sear, R., & Coall, D. A. (2011). How much does family matter? Cooperative breeding and the demographic transition. Population and Development Review, 37, 81–112.
Sear, R., & Mace, R. (2008). Who keeps children alive? A review of the effects of kin on child survival. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 1–18.
Strassmann, B. I. (2011). Cooperation and competition in a cliff-dwelling people. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108, 10894–10901.
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Tanskanen, A.O., Danielsbacka, M. (2017). Increased Grandchild Survival. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1194-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1194-1
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