ABSTRACT
In media theory and communications research it is becoming popular to refer to evolutionary arguments when explaining the entertainment function of the media (e.g., Steen & Owens, 2001; Schwender, 2001; see the chapter by Vorderer et al., this volume). But it still remains to be explained whether our preference for being entertained (and to entertain others) resides in an adaptive function of the species Homo sapiens sapiens or whether it is only an evolutionary by-product of other adaptations. However, even if this preference for entertainment is an adaptive function of our species, it remains unsolved as to which selection pressures produced this adaptation. Could this culturally invariant preference for entertainment (Barkow, 2001) be caused by the forces of natural selection (Darwin, 1859/1995) or is it tied to the more sophisticated forces of sexual selection (Darwin, 1871), which seems more plausible? In this chapter we will take a closer look at the lines of argument that are involved in this discussion. We will briefly introduce the principles of evolutionary biology including some remarks on sexual selection. This is followed by a short outline of evolutionary psychology. Finally, three evolutionary approaches concerning the evolutionary origins of entertainment are presented.
