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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–2Cite as

Extended Postmenopausal Lifespan

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Synonyms

Postmenopausal Somatic Maintenance Post-Reproductive Longevity

Definition

It has been proposed that human menopause exists because lifespans have expanded beyond the point of natural reproductive senescence. As a feature of the grandmother hypothesis, this account describes how human females have gained the ability to provide enhanced care to kin.

Introduction

The grandmother hypothesis proposes that the function of postmenopausal (i.e., postreproductive) life in females is to provide enhanced care to kin. One interpretation of this hypothesis is that postmenopausal life is the consequence of extended human lifespans, living beyond the physiological degradation of reproductive functioning. This interpretation is in contrast with the description of menopause, or the cessation of ovulation, as an adaptation designed to make grandparental care more efficient.

Evidence

Research into the grandmother hypothesis has primarily supported the notion that postmenopausal life is the...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Austin Jeffery

Authors
  1. Austin Jeffery
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Austin Jeffery .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Jeffery, A. (2016). Extended Postmenopausal Lifespan. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1197-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1197-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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