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Darwin anniversary series to explore evolutionary psychology and its applications

A new Economic and Social Research Council-funded seminar series organised by Mark van Vugt, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent, and Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Oxford, will launch on Tuesday 13 January with a symposium on Social Brains and Social Networks.

The aim of the series, titled Darwin's Medicine: Evolutionary Psychology and its Applications, is to examine the practical use of evolutionary psychology as a tool for making and informing policy. It will also be the first systematic attempt to bring together and connect evolutionary psychologists with people involved in policy development in public and private sectors such as local and national governments, UK charities and international businesses.

The launch symposium will take place 10am - 5pm in the Lecture Room, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford. The guest speaker will be Judith Donath, Associate Professor of Media Arts & Sciences and Director of the Sociable Media research group at the Media Laboratory, MIT.

Future seminars will take place at the University of Kent, University of Edinburgh, Brunel University, London Business School and University College London.

Future discussion topics include the implications of evolutionary psychology for: charity, philanthropy, and volunteerism; inter-group conflict, aggression and terrorism; leadership, management and organisational performance; poverty and health inequalities; treatment of clinical disorders and infectious diseases.

Professor van Vugt, co-chair of the first seminar, said: 'Although evolutionary psychology is still a relatively young academic discipline, in less than 20 years it has penetrated virtually every existing branch of psychology, including social, cognitive, developmental and clinical psychology, as well as influencing various other social science disciplines such as anthropology, economics and political science.

'Evolutionary psychology has greatly contributed to understanding psychological and behavioural phenomena within these traditional areas, and has proven to be a very useful heuristic tool for generating novel questions and insights into current social issues.'

Darwin's Medicine: Evolutionary Psychology and its Applications is one of a series of Darwin 2009 events being organised by the University of Kent to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his On The Origin of Species.

Contact: mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 3:13pm 5 January 2009