Post by Lone Wanderer on Mar 22, 2019 8:49:36 GMT
Male and female serial killers tend to choose their victims and commit their crimes in different ways, which may be due to thousands of years of psychological evolution, according to researchers.
The researchers found that male serial killers tend to "hunt" their victims, who are often strangers to them. Female serial killers tend to "gather" their victims -- targeting people around them who they may already know, often for financial gain.
"Historically, men hunted animals as prey and women gathered nearby resources, like grains and plants, for food," Harrison said. "As an evolutionary psychologist, I wondered if something left over from these old roles could be affecting how male and female serial killers choose their victims."
"Women were more likely to be given nicknames that denote their gender -- like Jolly Jane or Tiger Woman," Harrison said. "While men were more likely to be given nicknames that suggest the brutality of their crimes, like the Kansas City Slasher."
"Evolution doesn't mean you're predetermined to do certain things or act a certain way," Harrison said. "It means that it may be possible to make predictions about behavior based on our evolutionary past. In this case, I do believe that these behaviors are reminiscent of sex-specific behaviors or assignments in the ancestral environment. And perhaps we can understand this better through an evolutionary lens."
Source and full article
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190320110622.htm
The researchers found that male serial killers tend to "hunt" their victims, who are often strangers to them. Female serial killers tend to "gather" their victims -- targeting people around them who they may already know, often for financial gain.
"Historically, men hunted animals as prey and women gathered nearby resources, like grains and plants, for food," Harrison said. "As an evolutionary psychologist, I wondered if something left over from these old roles could be affecting how male and female serial killers choose their victims."
"Women were more likely to be given nicknames that denote their gender -- like Jolly Jane or Tiger Woman," Harrison said. "While men were more likely to be given nicknames that suggest the brutality of their crimes, like the Kansas City Slasher."
"Evolution doesn't mean you're predetermined to do certain things or act a certain way," Harrison said. "It means that it may be possible to make predictions about behavior based on our evolutionary past. In this case, I do believe that these behaviors are reminiscent of sex-specific behaviors or assignments in the ancestral environment. And perhaps we can understand this better through an evolutionary lens."
Source and full article
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190320110622.htm
