This book seeks to combine the study of human social cognition  - the way we think, decide, plan and analyze social situations  - with an evolutionary framework that considers these activities in light of evolutionary adaptations for solving problems of survival faced by our ancestors over thousands of generations. The chapters report recent research and theories illustrating how evolutionary principles can shed new light on the subtle and often subconscious ways that cognitive mechanisms guide peoples thoughts, memories, judgments, attitudes and behaviors in social life.

The...