Supernormal Stimuli in Technology: a Breeding Ground for Indiscretion and Discontent

By: Dex Camitan

The Nobel Prize winning Dutch ethologist, Nikolaas Tinbergen, noticed in his extensive
analysis of animal behavior in the mid-20th century that certain species would react to specific
stimuli found in their natural environment. He further realized that animals in his experiments
seemed to prefer versions of their environment which are showy, attractive, and eye-catching,
even when those versions are fake. A wooden fish model would be attacked by male
stickleback fish if its underside was redder than a real fish. This is despite the fact that the fake
fish is only vaguely fish-like in appearance. Male butterflies would choose to mate with
cardboard dummy butterflies if these fakes have more defined markings than real females
(Tinbergen, 1969). Songbird parents would prefer to feed fake chicks with mouths wider and
redder that their real offspring. Herring gull hatchlings would ignore their parents and beg food
from fake beaks with more dramatic markings (Tinbergen, 1976).
These exaggerated fakes, called supernormal stimuli, hijack instincts which evolved from
millions of years of trial and error, programmed to respond to certain stimuli with adaptive
value. However, even at the cost of survival, these animals simply could not say no to the fake
stimuli.

The Hunter-gatherer Brain in the Modern Jungle

With no sharp fangs, nor impressive talons, early human beings thrived in and
populated the African savannah no less than 10,000 years ago using rudimentary tools and
naturally selected instincts (Braak, 2013). While science and technology have reached
previously unimaginable realms of progress in a remarkably short period, the human brain, save
for minor upgrades, has remained relatively unchanged (Neubauer, Hublin, & Gunz, 2018).
Carrying around brains designed for hunting and gathering, it is surprising how modern human
beings are able to navigate an entirely different landscape than their prehistoric ancestors.
Needless to say, our instincts which were refined to seek infrequent rewards in an ancient
world of scarcity are placed beyond their evolutionary purpose. These primordial
predispositions tug us from all angles in a world full of replica stimuli which we ourselves
devised.
Barrett (2010) claims that human behavior, much like that of animals, is governed powerfully by
supernormal stimulation. The assumption is that just like Tinbergen’s manipulation of animal
behavior thru the introduction of atypical stimulation, rapid technological progress might have
fashioned an analogous state for humans. Basic human tendencies for romance, sexuality, and
even food consumption are diverted by supernormal stimulation.
Evolutionary psychologists have speculated that certain human instinctive responses which
evolved prior to the contemporary world are being activated by modern cultural artifacts
(Avery, 2003). The male preference towards red lipstick in females finds its roots to the fact
that full red female lips play an important role in sexual signaling as they imply reproductive
ampleness (Symons, 1981). In the same manner, surgically augmented breasts, regardless of
their size, trigger partiality in males because fat was a vital nutrient which was rare in
prehistoric times and that breast development signals fertility and good health in potential
mates (Dixson, Duncan, & Dixson, 2015).
Zimbardo & Coulombe, (2016) discussed that the fastest growing industry is the same as the
most insidious modern stimuli. Pornography, as suggested by several researchers (Hilton, 2013;
Park et al., 2016) has the capability to curb otherwise normal sexual development in viewers, it
creates unrealistic expectations about normal sexual behaviors (Voon et al., 2014), and provide
an unlimited source of dopamine, as novelty is always a click away (Love, Laier, Brand, Hatch, &
Hajela, 2015). As a supernormal stimulus, pornography hijacks evolved mating-relevant
psychology because it provides easy access to embellished versions of its real sex.
Much like pornography, junk food haywire natural cravings for sugar, salt, and fat. As a result,
modern human beings are consuming sophisticated food far sweeter, saltier, and fatter than
their prehistoric counterparts. (Barrett, 2007) This inclination towards certain types of food
evolved because “under low-resource conditions, which were common ancestrally, it was
adaptive and would lead to eating foods that could help one survive famine conditions” (Geher,
2015). However, as a result of advances in agriculture and food transportation, food types
which were considered as rare commodities by our ancestors are readily available in most fast-
food chains and convenience stores.

Food-porn, Video games, Social Media, and the Reptilian Brain

The first documented use of the word food porn is credited to the feminist critic
Rosalind Coward in the 1984 book Female Desire. However, it’s current meaning – “the
carefully arranged, carefully filtered images that show a meal—homecooked or restaurant-
served [shared online]” (Romm, 2015) did not take on until the early 2000s. While in part, this is
nothing new, since people have been looking at appealing images of food on commercials and
print advertisements (ALbers, 2012). Now, anyone can achieve the supernormal presentation of
food by controlling various elements of the image through photo-manipulation applications. At
first glance, it might seem harmless to view supernormal versions of food online. However, like
actual pornography “these exaggerated imitations can cause a stronger pull than the real thing”
(Barrett, 2007). This is because real food simply does not look like their idealized online
counterparts.
Entertainment Software Association (2015) estimated that there are about 1.8 billion video
game players in the world. The said report found that the average gamer is a 35 year old male
who has been playing video games for about 13 years. Additionally, while age seemed to be a
factor with 30% of all gamers came from the 18-35 age group, gender seems to play a minor
role in gaming as there are only 12% more males than females in the gaming community. While
video games have been designed for entertainment, their mechanics cash in on of inherent
human adaptations shaped long ago by evolution. Most popular games provide hyper-
attractive versions of conditions and stimuli found in the Late Pleistocene environment where
human being are better fit compared to living in the modern world (Astolfi, 2011). Monster
Hunter and other similar games reward players with a sense of hunter mastery similar to what
is requisite in primeval times. Games like Rules of Survival and other massively multiplayer
online role-playing games provide social status aside from a sense of mastery. Even Wordscape
and Lumosity are supernormal stimuli to our intellectual curiosity. Video games provide a safe
atmosphere to play out our instinctive survival tendencies that would normally be developed by
exposure to harsh, and dangerous environment over many years (Barrett, 2010).
In order to survive the unforgiving Late Pleistocene landscape, human beings sought each
other. This disposition to stick to their own kind ingrained the deeply rooted need for
belongingness in the human psyche. In the fast-paced modern world, online social networks are
rapidly changing the way humans relate. In 2016, over 2 billion people belong to online social
networks (Greenwood, Perrin, & Duggan, 2016), over half of them log in daily (Kross et al.,
2013). These sites attract users because they provide an environment which simulate the
experience of interaction and intimacy with minimal drawback of rejection and having to
maintain relations. However, these sites can be thought of as a battery of supernormal stimuli
taking advantage of the adaptive motives of social approval and connectedness (Geher, 2015).
As a larger-than-life imitation of real relations, social media use has been linked to unhappiness.
Social media users are exposed to other users’ highlight reel which may make them feel
shoddier about their own lives. These snippets which are often filtered by the users who share
them offers misleading glimpse into other’s lives which was never available before the Internet.
Regardless of this, users can’t seem to stop themselves from checking in their Facebook
timelines, thinking that they might miss something out.
Just as the herring gull hatchlings fall for the Dutch biologist’s manipulation, human beings
succumb to supernormal stimuli which take advantage of our evolved psychology. Many of our
indiscretions and discontentment are in actuality, rooted upon it. Ironically, unlike the hapless
baby birds in the Tinbergen experiment which have no control over their fate, we humans are
actively mass-producing exaggerated fakes designed to exploit ourselves. In other words, we
are both the manipulative scientist and the unfortunate test-subject in our own behavioral
experiments. The challenge is, with evolution happening at glacial pace and technology
progressing at blinding speed, how can our Late Pleistocene brains prepare for the modern,
high stimulating, imitation of experiences?
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