Evolutionary Psychology, The Handbook of

Synonyms

Handbook; Evolutionary psychology

Definition

A compilation of 52 chapters and essays, written by evolutionary scientists, summarizing theories and research in major branches of evolutionary psychology.

Introduction

Charles Darwin was the first evolutionary psychologist. He described his vision for the future of psychology at the end of his classic 1859 treatise On the Origin: “In the distant future I see open fields for more important researches. Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.” Close to a century and a half later, his prophecy began to come to fruition. The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, first published in 2005, logged in at more than 1,000 printed pages with some 35 chapters (Buss 2005). The second Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, published in 2016 with more than 52 chapters and essays, highlights how dramatically the field has expanded. Darwin turned out to be right...