| dc.description.abstract | From an evolutionary perspective, the most fundamental task faced by all organisms is the successful utilization of resources-- time, effort, energy, food-- in the service of survival and reproduction. To help explain how organisms will allocate their energy, evolutionary biologists developed a theoretical framework called the Life History Theory. This model states that the decisions an individual makes during development typically form a predictive pattern of behaviors, often referred to as an individual's life history strategy. Individuals in a safe, resource abundant environment follow a slower life history strategy and tend to make more future-oriented, rational decisions. On the other hand, individuals in a dangerous, resource void environment follow a faster life history strategy and make more impulsive, present-focused decisions. In the past, many studies have been done to correlate external cues, such as childhood socioeconomic status, and life history strategies, but not much has been done to analyze how internal cues might drive life history strategies. This first-of-its-kind study sought to answer the question, "How does the reactivity of one's immune system influence one's desire for present- versus future-oriented outcomes?" In order to do this, we examined markers of immunological function and compared them to self-reported data. Although the results have not been completed, we confidently predict that individuals with less reactive immune systems will follow a faster life history strategy, making more impulsive, risky decisions, whereas those with more reactive immune systems will follow a slower life history strategy, making more rational, future-oriented decisions. | |
