title: For public policies, our evolved psychology is the problem and the solution.
abstract: For the authors, evolutionary approaches should rely less on evolutionary psychology, which studies innate fixed capacities, and more on cultural selection, which emphasizes cultural learning and symbolic innovation. However, successful policies do not seem to culturally reengineer people. Rather, they work by tapping into old human instincts (fairness preference, reputation management, resource seeking) to motivate individuals to change their behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75230 Paris, France. nbaumard@gmail.com https://sites.google.com/site/nicolasbaumard/Home
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baumard
mesh_terms: D001525:Behavioral Sciences; D001527:Behaviorism; D003468:Cultural Evolution; D006801:Humans