We humans are not a very nice species really, we can be cruel, vindictive, manipulative and there is not one of us walking the earth that can say that they have never ever lied. Well they can say it.... but they are almost certainly lying when they do. It is in our nature to lie, in fact it is an adaptation that has allowed us to prosper, gain power and increase our reproductive success (get laid more often). We psychologists even have a cool term for this ability we call it Machiavellian Intelligence or sometimes social or political intelligence. I doubt it surprises anyone that successful politicians tend to have oodles of it!
What may surprise you is that we are not the only primate to have adapted this ability. After humans, rhesus macaques are one of the most successful primate species on our planet. They live in complex societies with strong dominance hierarchies and long-lasting social bonds. Individuals like humans constantly compete for high social status and the power that comes with it using ruthless aggression, nepotism, and complex political alliances. As in humans sex too, is used for political purposes. The strategies used by these monkeys to increase or maintain their power is similar to those Machiavelli suggested political leaders used during the Renaissance.
Female make sure they have lots of sex with the alpha male to increase the chances he will protect their newborn infant from other monkeys 6 months later. But while they have lots of sex with the alpha male and make him think he's going to be the father of their baby, the females also have sex with all the other males in the group behind the alpha male's back. Hedging their bets just in case the alpha male is sterile, dies or loses his power before the baby is born.
So next time you are steaming from the ears watching a politician blatantly lying or avoiding answering a direct question have some sympathy for him, after all its in his nature..... and anyway, everybody lies.....
Sleepless
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