ABSTRACT
Evolutionary history and each person’s personal history combined to determine what is motivating. Universal motives evolved concerning our social environment, sexual interaction, emotions, control of the environment, a self-concept, and the appreciation of aesthetics. Evolution is responsible for sex differences in the preference for long term mates. Women prefer men who signal that they will be good providers and dependable partners. Men prefer youth and beauty as signals of a woman’s fertility. If women achieve financial security, then they prefer men who show niceness as a trait. Evolution influenced our preference for sweets and fats; these foods indicated high calories in a time of scarcity. Humans evolved to fear snakes, spiders, and lizards, since these creatures were dangerous in our evolutionary past. Unanswered is why the world over we enjoy music.
