As an evolutionary behavioral scientist who focuses on using evolutionary scholarship to shed light on the positive aspects of life (see Geher & Wedberg, Positive Evolutionary Psychology, 2020), it strikes me that some of the core themes of even the most standard wedding vows have deep and critical evolutionary meaning.
Life is not always easy. Having someone by your side who truly has your interests at heart is critical in navigating life’s often-treacherous waters. If you truly have someone whom you love and respect promising to comfort and honor you every single day, then you’ve got the gift of a lifetime in your hands. From an evolutionary perspective, we can think of it this way: If you can dependably count on your partner to have your interests in mind and to stand with you, comforting you when needed, then you have one heck of a teammate in the game of life.
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In fact, the basic elements of standard wedding vows, such as forsaking all others, promising to comfort and honor one another, and promising to cherish one another forever, can easily be understood as deeply rooted in the broader human evolutionary experience.
