What makes touch so critical as an evolutionary force is its effect on cryptic female choice. Cryptic selection not only influences female mate choice of males but also acts on male traits that determine their reproductive success. Nice guys finish last? Hardly.
Touching above all is an awe-inspiring activity. The experience our young man seeks from pornography. It’s a complex emotion that is triggered when we experience or witness something terrifying, yet wondrous, or mind-blowing. When in awe, we typically get goosebumps.
The Colorful Prince takes advantage of this vestigial remnant of evolutionary behavior. A kinship structure based on social reciprocity is not to be confounded with polygamy or polyandry, because ownership or marriage is unnecessary. On the one hand, the structure provides the diverse material the egg requires for sperm selection.
But on the other hand, the same kinship structure supports male reproductive success by demonstrating an unselfish commitment to others' well-being. This is characterized by actions that prioritize others' needs above personal gain and by displaying consistency in inspiring awe during touch and sexual relations.
