Male Pattern Hair Loss: The Selfless Gene
February 2018
in “
Medical Hypotheses
”
TLDR Male pattern hair loss may have evolved to promote younger fathers for offspring health and survival, encouraging monogamy and paternal nurturing.
Male pattern hair loss (MPHL) may have evolved as a selfless gene to promote the selection of younger fathers for the benefit of the population. This is because younger fathers may lead to improved health and survival of offspring. MPHL may have facilitated monogamy and paternal nurturing, and may have served as a "quasi-truncator" to help preserve genetic integrity in human populations. However, there may be a conflict between individual reproductive success and the fitness of the population, and genes may be neither selfish nor selfless.
