Michael Mills
Associate Professor of Psychology | Psychological Science Loyola Marymount University
Media
Biography
His areas of specialty include: adaptationist approaches to psychology (evolutionary psychology), sex differences (as evolved sexually dimorphic psychological adaptations), the use of AI in psychology, psychometrics, psychology and sustainability.
He serves on several editorial boards including: Evolutionary Psychology; Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology; The Sage Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology; Sexuality and Culture; the Journal of Open Inquiry in Behavioral Science.
Education
University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D.
Counseling Psychology
California State University, Long Beach
M.A.
Industrial / Organizations Psychology
University of California, Santa Cruz
B.A.
Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Affiliations
- Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Founding Member
- Association for Psychological Science (APS), Founding Member
- Society for Open Inquiry in Behavior Science (SOIBS), Member of Editorial Board and Founding Member
Links
Partnerships
Executive Board Member
Founding Membe Society for Open Inquiry in Behavioral Science.
SOIBS members are scholars and practitioners in the behavioral sciences committed to free inquiry and truth seeking. In healthy scientific fields, ideas are debunked rather than censored, and their proponents are debated rather than punished. We are dedicated to maintaining open inquiry, civil debate, and rigorous standards in the behavioral sciences. Our activities include hosting academic conferences, publishing an open inquiry peer-reviewed journal (JOIBS), and producing other scholarly content such as books and popular press pieces.
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
OOTIFY OOTify.com
OOTify is powered by cultural insight, deep expertise, and advanced technology. By leveraging tools such as AI architecture, data-driven matching, and advanced algorithms, we have revolutionized the way individuals access and receive mental health support. Our innovative approach ensures a seamless and personalized experience that meets the evolving needs of today's digital society.
Courses
Evolutionary Psychology - Psyc 4052
The focus of this course is on identifying human psychological adaptations, their evolutionary genesis, their neuropsychological and cognitive mechanisms, and their behavioral and cultural manifestations. We will examine our evolved human nature – the set of psychological, emotional/motivational, behavioral, cognitive and sexual adaptations that characterize humans as a species.
Evolutionary psychology is a relatively new discipline--in title alone it is perhaps only about 50 years old. What we will be studying is thus on the very "cutting edge" of the thinking in this field. Many of the ideas of evolutionary psychology have not yet migrated to the larger discipline of psychology, and it will take much longer until these concepts become integrated into the larger academic and popular culture.
Without a foundational metatheory to guide it, research in psychology can be like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. It is a random walk from which a coherent picture of human nature is unlikely to emerge. What makes evolutionary psychology especially heuristic is that it provides foundational theoretical ‘light’ about why organisms behave, and, how psychological puzzle pieces are likely to fit together. It suggests that, like the organs of the body, modular neuropsychological adaptations gradually evolved over millions of years to help to increase the odds of survival and reproduction. Evolutionary psychologists work to assemble the puzzle pieces of psychological adaptations so that gradually the face of human nature begins to emerge.
Evolutionary psychology sounds as if it were merely another branch of traditional psychology. This is not the case. Evolutionary psychology is not a sub-discipline within the field of psychology, like developmental or clinical psychology. Rather, it is a theoretical approach that can be applied throughout psychology and, for that matter, in other disciplines like anthropology, economics and political science. In biology, evolutionary theory serves as the foundational meta-theory for the entire discipline. Without it, biology wouldn't make much sense. Evolutionary psychology seeks to apply the same adaptationist approach as a foundation for the discipline of psychology.
Evolutionary Psychology of Sex Differences
The focus of this course is to identify sexually dimorphic psychological adaptations, their evolutionary genesis, their neuropsychological and cognitive mechanisms, and their behavioral and cultural manifestations. That is, we will examine how evolved male and female "natures" differ. In addition, we will explore the proximate manifestations of sexually dimorphic adaptations, including neural/hormonal, emotional, motivational, and cognitive sex differences.
We will explore sex differences from a nature-nurture interactionist perspective (an “adaptationist,” or "evolutionary psychology" approach).
The evolution of sexual reproduction, the two sexes, and sexually dimorphic morphology, emotion, motivation, cognition and behavior will be examined. We will explore the different "reproductive strategies" employed by males and females (including those of nonhuman species), and the resulting conflicts of interest between the sexes. Since the most significant sexually dimorphic psychological adaptations are closely connected to issues related to reproduction, a particular focus of the course will be on sex differences in mating partner choice, courtship, sexuality, jealousy and mate guarding, mating systems, and parenting.
