Humans possess a love for novelty, known as neophilla. For females choosing a mate this would have led to a demand of creative displays from potential mates in the EEA (environment of evolutionary adaptation). Mate choice in the EEA may have favoured creativity, which would explain why many characteristics unique to humans such as music, art and humour have developed.
Gossip and language have evolved to fulfil several functions; one is communication and social interaction within a group. Dunbar believed during the EEA groups grew large therefore gossip became an effective way of passing information about social relationships and hierarchies. Gossipping increased knowledge of events within a group and 'good gossipers' enhanced survival chances as they were aware of rivalries, affairs of others and knew information regarding vital resources.
Natural selection may have favoured development of skills that enhance survival. But sexual selection may have favoured minds prone to creativity and fantasy. Celebrities have several of these qualities, therefore evolutionary explanations suggest we will inevitably find them attractive. It is also suggested individuals desire to become celebrities, therefore through imitating them it is thought to bring about similar resources, production and reproduction opportunities, therefore has adaptive value.
Shirashi et al discovered an enzyme which correlated with novelty seeking behaviour. Genetic differences cause people to produce different variations of an enzyme called MAOA (monoamine oxidase). Researchers found that one form of this enzyme was associated with higher scores of novelty seeking behaviour suggesting there may be a genetic origin for neophilla and our attraction to creative people may be an evolved response. However, this assumption is based on correlational data, therefore we cannot determine cause and effect. Other variables may have effected production of the enzyme. Also this only explains love of novelty and attraction to creative people. But, it does not explain how or why this occurs.
Gossipping may help elevate status and cement social relationships improving survival chances. This may explain the appeal of celebrity journalism as celebrities are seen as the top of the hierarchy. Keeping up to date with celebrities behaviours is seen as beneficial to shaping ones own behaviour. Celebrity magazines allow individuals to do this, therefore explains their popularity. However, the majority of celebrity gossip magazines are read by females. Therefore this explanation may not apply to males therefore lacks external validity and wider generalisations. Weakening the evolutionary approach as it suggests all humans would want to find out information about celebrities, which is not the case.
Sexual selection explains that creative traits are proffered because they are deemed 'attractive' however this does not not provide a complete explanation as to why these traits are deemed attractive in the opposite sex. Fieldman found females were attracted to male celebrities because of qualities such as toughness, stamina and high levels of testosterone, all indicators of good genetic quality and the ability to provide resources. These findings support evolutionary explanations as such qualities increased survival and reproduction chances explaining female interest in male celebrities. However, this theory cannot explain out interest in homosexual celebrities as if celebrity attraction served an evolutionary advantage our interests should be limited to heterosexual celebrities. However, this is not the case further highlighting the evolutionary explanation as reductionist and incomplete.
Most evolutionary explanations are post-hoc therefore difficult to scientifically prove or disprove. Therefore evolutionary theories remain speculative and therefore difficult to determine their actual influence. Such theories are reductionist as they reduce behaviour to a single explanation and down to adaptive fitness. It ignores other explanations e.g. psychological explanations and parasocial relationships. This is deterministic as behaviour is seen to be driven by biological factors with no consideration for the role of free will or conscious thought. Also not everyone finds celebrities interesting and attractive which this explanation cannot account for, further highlighting that a purely evolutionary explanation is unable to explain our attraction to celebrities.
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