[ExI] Armchair Evolutionary Psychology: Larks vs Night Owls

[Lee Corbin]

Sorry I haven't followed all the links, but what about

> Emlyn wrote:
> 
>> Yep, night owl men and women are up, in the Benny Hill sense, at the
>> same time. No gender bias here, I think.

and Damien replied

> I doubt that we know enough about the sleeping/screwing arrangements 
> in our ancient EEAs to be sure about that). It's not as if the two 
> moieties are completely separated by time; night owls might go to 
> sleep and get up as much as, say, 4 or even 6 hours after the early 
> birds (if those ducks and drakes were thoughtful and kept their 
> chatter and song to a minimum), but they don't divide the day between 
> them. And, horrid though it is to say, while a male probably needs to 
> be fairly awake to get it up and in, females have been known to sleep 
> through the operation. But that's not the main thing, either, because 
> I'm suggesting that while the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed males are 
> off hunting and gathering, the late riser male sneaky fuckers are 
> sometimes whispering endearing words to the early ducks who are now 
> getting ready for a smoko and a cuppa after their morning toil, which 
> mixes the alleles up something chronic.

I need to remind everyone (whether they need it or not)(as I say
"I need") that developing a genetic explanation always requires
a selective advantage, and since we seem to have here an
equilibrium, it's that which needs to be explained too.  E.g.,
what if there are too many early risers, how does that increase
the number of viable offspring of the late risers and vice-versa.

What about the possibility that personal status and power in
the tribe are a factor?  "Being late", whether it was getting
ready for the hunt back then, or showing up at a party or
at work now, is a signals disdain or at least confident independence.

I can see an equilibrium arising from several sources that have
been proposed. But perhaps I'm missing something: has this
really been proved genetic in origin?  I myself have turned from
an early riser to a late one as "trust" among my fellows at work
has evolved to the point that no one really much cares anymore
when the others arrive. But then, if it is genetic, I'm probably an
early riser (modulo sleeping problems) because of an urge to
"do my duty", "support the team", etc., exactly what you would
expect from a right-wing hyper-patriot team-player like me  :-)

Didn't mean to argue by example or anecdote, but just wanted
to illustrate my questions.

Thanks,
Lee