5 Ways Sex Will Save the World

“A couple holds their fists against one another, showing off their wedding bands” by Désirée Fawn on Unsplash

Desire blurs the line between oneself and another. I’m talking about consensual sex and evolution.

Good sex can wipe out the very concept of “otherness” at the core of so many threats to the survival of planet earth. It can reduce the ethnocentrism responsible for so much violence in our world, including the wars that are violence against “the other” on massive scales.

“Ethnocentrism is a behavioral strategy in which individuals cooperate with members of their own group, but not with outsiders. In-group favoritism is seen on every scale of social interaction, from the geopolitical to the interpersonal. In humans, its consequences are severe: ethnic clashes characterize 75% of armed conflicts since the end of the Cold War. . .” — Caitlin J. Mouri, Thomas R. Shultz

Using game theory, Mouri and Shultz found that inter-group mating led to a decrease in the ethnocentric mode and an increase in “humanitarian cooperation.” Translation: less racism, more tolerance, less conflict, more cooperation.

When inter-group sex results in children, this further increases the level of tolerance in a community. Even a confirmed ethnocentrist is hard pressed to avoid cooing over and bragging on grandbabies. Babies are adorable, and loving them is instinctive, a well-developed evolutionary strategy.