Sexually transmitted diseases Monogam love secures the health

Dissemination of syphilis and gonorrhea apparently favored the "monogony"
From a biological point of view, monogamy is not actually in the nature of man. Nonetheless, in many cultures today it is the most widespread relational model. How can that be? Firm ties with just one partner seem to make a valuable contribution to society. As two researchers from Canada and Germany report in the journal "Nature Communications", monogamous relationships in larger groups protect against the spread of venereal diseases.

Most people choose an exclusive partnership
In most Western cultures today, people are committed to one-to-one relationships with and seeks a lasting relationship with them. But how is it that so many opt for monogamy, even though the so-called "monogamy" actually does not correspond to the nature of man? Two researchers from Canada and Germany have now discovered that possibly the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in larger groups could have led to our monogamous lifestyle today.

From "polygyny" to monogamous life
Chris Bauch from the University of Waterloo in Canada and Richard McElreath from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig wondered why monogamy became a social norm in some cultures with the onset of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. Because before, many of the historically known human populations lived (and still live) in polygynous societies, which allow the husband to marry more than one wife. To understand this evolution, the two researchers created a computer simulation based on population development data and the spread of infectious diseases. It appeared that the reason for the change to a monogamous life could possibly be related to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, according to a Communication from the University of Waterloo.

STDs threaten only for larger groups
As diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia infections often lead to infertility, they can thereby significantly influence the development of a population. The extent to which venereal diseases threatened a population group was apparently largely dependent on their size. Thus, in smaller groups with no more than 30 adults, such infections disappeared relatively quickly, since there was only a limited potential for distribution in view of the few people. In larger societies, however, as they developed in the wake of the emerging agriculture, the diseases spread rapidly and thus posed a massive threat to the continued existence of the group dar. The sedentary peasant communities could therefore ultimately survive only by renouncing the Secure "polygyny".

"This research shows how events in natural systems, such as the spread of infectious diseases, the development of social norms and especially our group-oriented assessment can significantly affect," said Bauch in the announcement of his university. "Our research shows how mathematical models are not only used to predict the future, but also to understand the past."

Environment is shaped by social norms
The development of social norms, according to scientists, is a complex process characterized by interactions with processes in our natural environment: "Our social norms have been shaped by our natural environment. In return, we increasingly understand that the environment is shaped by our social norms, "continues Professor Bauch. Presumably in addition to the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, other mechanisms have ensured that more and more people chose a monogamous life. These include, among other things, the choice of women in the search for a man, pathogenic stress or technological influences, according to the announcement of the university. (No)