In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about signalling within the context of evolutionary psychology, defining exactly what it is, its role in evolution, how to leverage it and more.
What Is Signalling?
In evolutionary psychology, signalling refer to the various forms of communication used by organisms to convey information to others.
The Evolutionary Perspective
From an evolutionary perspective, signalling is deeply rooted in the survival and reproductive success of organisms.
Signals emitted by a “sender” have explicitly evolved to transmit information about their fitness to the “receiver” which may be either prey, predators, mates, competitors, friends and family etc.
A signal can take myriad forms including a combination of touch, sound, colour, motion and odour. No organism can live without sending and receiving signals, but a misdirected or misinterpreted signal can also lead to death.
Signals indicate fitness.
Honest Versus Dishonest Signals
Both honest and dishonest signals refer to the accuracy of information being conveyed.
Honest signals are those that accurately convey information about an individual. They tend to be more costly to produce and therefore can be relied upon. Dishonest signals are those that inaccurately convey information about an individual. They tend to be less costly to produce and therefore cannot be relied upon.
Differentiating between honest and dishonest signals is the difference between life and death for an organism.
Reliable Versus Unreliable Signals
Both reliable and unreliable signals refer to the consistency of information being conveyed.
A reliable signal is consistent in conveying accurate information over time and tends to lead to good decision-making. An unreliable signal is inconsistent in conveying accurate information over time and tends to lead to bad decision-making.
How To Leverage Signals
There are two key ways to leverage signals in life.
The first key to leveraging signals in life is being an effective receiver when decoding signals. The better you can differentiate between honest signals and dishonest signals, the better you can predict outcomes, the better decisions you can make and ultimately the better results you will get.
The second key to leveraging signals in life is being an effective sender when emitting signals. The better you can emit the right signals, the more accurately you can convey information and the more effective you’ll be at achieving your desired outcomes.
Summary (TL;DR)
Signalling refers to behaviours that communicate information to other organisms. Specifically, it evolved to convey information about fitness.
Honest signals are those that accurately convey information about an individual and tend to be more costly to produce. Dishonest signals are those that inaccurately convey information about an individual and tend to be less costly to produce.
The key to leveraging signals is firstly to be an effective receiver when decoding signals and secondly to be an effective sender when emitting signals.
