Fidelity implies containing a natural impulse in the human being. Therefore, those who are faithful to their partners show a trait of intelligence and evolution.
According to the Colombian neuroscientist, Rodolfo Llinás, faithful people are smarter. There will be those who doubt it, it is normal. What will fidelity have to do with IQ? Many will say. The truth is that respecting the commitment established with a person requires effort and very sophisticated cognitive and emotional patterns.
Let’s think about it: nothing is as simple as letting ourselves be carried away by desire. It is enough to meet someone who attracts us and give free rein to our instincts. There are many who, beyond their bond with a stable partner, cross that line continuously. They do it without thinking about the consequences, without taking into account the feelings of that person with whom they live.
If the members of that couple have not agreed to accept an open relationship, the infidelity it is an attack on that emotional agreement created between two. In this way, Any effort to care for, nurture and respect that bond is therefore a reflection of intelligence and an advance in our evolution as a social group.
Monogamy is interpreted as an advance in many groups of animals, such as some primates.
Faithful people are the smartest
Science, and specifically psychology, has been very interested in the issue of monogamy. This is by no means an exclusive behavior of the human being. There are many animals that practice it. We know, for example, that there are primates that establish stable relationships and that this reduces the fact that the males kill the young so that the females become sexually receptive again.
Fidelity has multiple advantages in the animal kingdom. However… Does it also have it in our species? Experts tell us that it is. An example, works of investigation such as those carried out at the University of New Brunswick, in Canada indicates that sexual and romantic exclusivity in the couple’s sphere is an almost universal expectation. Most of us yearn for it.
It’s more, enjoying a bond based on trust and respect improves our well-being and even our longevity. That is, monogamy reverts to human well-being and taking care of that pact is a virtue. Therefore, neuroscientists like Dr. Rodolfo Llinás tell us that faithful people are smarter, it is not something that is new to us.
Loyalty is synonymous with peace of mind and life satisfaction
Rodolfo Llinás is the most important and recognized neurophysiologist in Colombia. He is currently a professor of neuroscience at New York University School of Medicine and also directed the program of NASA’s “Neurolab” scientific working group. It was a few years ago when the media echoed one of his proposals: faithful people are smarter.
His argument, as we can deduce, does not start from ethical or moral principles. His approach starts from neuroscience and is justified by a very basic reasoning: the love that generates well-being to the human being is part of commitment and fidelity. That pure affection based on respect for the other is what gives us security and a permanent alliance with the loved one.
This authentic co-responsibility with the other reduces stress and raises levels of satisfaction. Peace of mind and confidence are the balms that enrich our lives. Something like this is only achieved by controlling the instincts primary, the drive that pushes us to satisfy sexual desire at a given moment with another person who is not our partner.
Faithfulness allows us to focus on really decisive aspects in the journey of life between two. Knowing that we can trust the loved one, assures us that we can unconditionally count on that person in the most important moments.
Faithful people are the most intelligent and “evolved”
To argue the idea that faithful people are more intelligent, Rodolfo Llinás quotes the evolutionist psychologist and writer Satoshi Kanazawa. He has written more than 80 articles in the fields of psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, biology, etc. One of his best known books is
It should be noted that he is a highly controversial figure and that his studies always cause a stir. One of them, the most widespread, had the title, Why Liberals and Atheists Are Smarter (2010). However, other work also delved into broader aspects that had promoted our evolution and the development of our intelligence.
This investigation, published in 2010, highlighted that people who placed importance on sexual fidelity in a relationship had a higher IQ. This data was especially significant in men.
According to Kanazawa, over time the male sex has been more polygamous than the female, but this is changing.
Being faithful is a choice and a compromise agreed between two people
Each couple agrees on the type of relationship they want to have. This implies that, as is obvious, there will be those who opt for polyamory and others, for that affective and sexual exclusivity. Does that mean that the former are less intelligent than the latter? Absolutely. The theory enunciated by these neuroscientists starts from the following idea: fidelity is to respect the pact established between two people.
If we have agreed to be faithful to the person we have fallen in love with, we will make an effort to respect that bond. We will control the desire to be with other people. We will prioritize care, love and dedication to our partner and this is what denotes intelligence and responsibility. In a way, monogamy is something that has been appearing since the Neolithic.
This sexual exclusivity sought to prevent the spread of sexual diseases and guarantee the protection of families. Either way, the most important thing is that fidelity is always an act that each one carries out out of his own conviction, without ever being an imposition or an obligation …