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HUMAN beings are bad at making rational decisions and finding happiness. But these hiccups make for good reading, as is clear from the explosion of books on the subject. Joining the fray is “The Consuming Instinct” by Gad Saad, which considers human behaviour through a lens of biology and natural selection. He offers reassurance that some of man’s odder impulses, from high-stakes gambling to bungee-jumping or wearing stiletto heels, are rooted in evolutionary necessity.
“Much of what we do as consumers is ultimately related to sex,” Mr Saad writes. Men are programmed to hunt for young, attractive and fertile women (and as many as possible), whereas women tend to seek out a lone, socially powerful Mr Right—the better to raise a family with. This creates different approaches, with women investing in their looks and men in their status. For women, long hair functions as a sign of health and youth, and cosmetics mimic cues of sexual arousal. As for high-heels, they hoist the derrière and make the gait more feminine and physically attractive. Men who aren’t tall, dark and handsome can compensate by wearing high-status clothing (no woman, it is said, can resist a man in surgical scrubs) or driving a fancy car. Studies show that men driving a Porsche experience rising testosterone levels, as it is an act of sexual signalling.

A. 어휘
rational 합리적인. hiccups 딸꾹질, 고장. reading 읽을거리.
explosion 폭발. subject 주제. fray 소동, 싸움, 논쟁, 닳아빠지게 하다.
natural selection 自然淘汰(자연도태). reassurance 재 보증, 확신, 안심.
odd 이상한. impulses 충동. high-stakes 이판사판의.
stiletto 短劍(단검). ultimately 궁극적으로. fertile 多産(다산)의, 비옥한.
status 지위. functions 역할을 다하다, 작용하다. cosmetics 화장품.
mimic 흉내 내다. cues 단서, 신호, 역할. arousal 각성, 환기.
hoist 올리다. derrière 엉덩이. gait 걸음걸이. compensate 보상하다.
surgical scrubs 手術服(수술복).