Why Do You Love Your Family?

↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

Why do we love people we're related to? Compared to strangers, why do we feel such a deep sense of connection with our family members? Sure, they're nice to us, we take care of each other, and we often live with them, but there has to be a deeper biological reason. That reason, unsurprisingly is evolution. In this video, I explain why taking care of our family, or even dying for them, makes sense in the eyes of evolution.

SOURCES:
This video covers more than a half century of evolutionary biology theory and observation, but here's some reading if you'd like to learn more:

Haldane, J.B.S. (1932). "The Causes of Evolution." London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Hamilton, W. D. (1963). "The evolution of altruistic behavior." The American Naturalist, 97(896), 354-356.

Hamilton, W. D. (1964). "The genetical evolution of social behaviour I." Journal of Theoretical Biology, 7(1), 1-16.

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It's Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Director: Joe Nicolosi
Writer: Stephanie Keep
Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Orsak
Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox

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[thewatercoolerguy]

Parent "I just LOVE my son!"
Joe "Yeah but why though"

[jaggedpeaks]

The entire time the baby just seemed like,
"Father, why have you done this to me?"

[franloiacono]

Joe: “this is my baby and I love him Because of evolution, ”
Me: I LOVE HIM BECAUSE CHEEKS

[MAMAJUGO]

The correct answer is clearly preventing velociraptors from getting a driver's license

[duckless]

"Dad, why do you love me?"

"Evolution son. Evolution"

[sophienugre]

I "grew up" in an abusive "family". It has always fascinated me how there seems to be a subset of humans that forego all that is outlined above and actively work to decrease their offsprings fitness in favour of their own. I haven't found a good source that looms at this from an evolutionary perspective yet.

[EdmundWChan]

"Can't Spell EVOL-ution with out LOVE" so good !

[sidgrim]

Son: Dad, do you love me?

Nerd dad: *gives lenghty evolutionary explanation of why humans would sacrifice their lives for other humans that share more than 12.5% of their genes*

[tofusupremacy]

I love how Harrison's head was just bobbing around while Joe was talking.

[timothymclean]

In 10-15 years, Harrison is going to be making sure nobody in his class watches this channel, _just_ to be on the safe side.

[HeatherChandlerIHardlyKnowHer]

Watch me be jealous of Harrison because he'll grow up and be a prodigy.

[littleshadow_]

Harrison is the most calm new born I have ever seen, I get he wasn't in the whole video but the time he was he was so calm and almost looked like he could fall asleep at any second. <3

[droselife]

6:51 you missed your son's high five

[Tsukiko.]

*IT'S OKAY TO BE A DAD*





*AND A MOM OF COURSE!*

[besmart]

If you DON'T love your family… I can't explain that. That's between y'all!

Let's hear it for Harrison! I'd love him even if evolution didn't say it was a winning strategy for my genes.This week's video dives deep into evolutionary biology, one of my favorite subjects, full of interesting questions about why things got the way they are. Leave a comment and let me know how you liked it!

[mizFahrenheit]

Harrison is a sweet baby and you and his mom sure are doing a great job of raising a pretty docile kid! Great genes, I guess!

[katanaquits]

“I science you darling.”

“I- MEAN LOVE”

[iphil]

oh your a father now ??  awesome ! Best wishes to you and your family ! 
and lots of love

[jayamilapersson]

Well what about the ppl who DO risk their life for strangers?

[suits]

Why do you love you family?
Dom: Family is family