Studies of overpopulation in rats

A while back someone posted a vid that I thought was kinda trashy and boring. Well the channel kept showing up in my suggestion bar and I did end up finding some interesting content after all. In fact, this channel kept me entertained for weeks! Enjoy

Particularly this video presented a fresh idea for me.



Summary:

The video covers research aimed at finding the effects of overpopulation, something that was of great concern to philosophers in the 19th century. Eventually a series of experiments, using rats, were conducted to monitor behaviors over several generations.

The effects of overpopulation in rats invariably led to bizarre behaviors such as apathy, homosexuality, and infanticide. Perhaps it is most interesting that these behaviors were observed even when there was ample food and nesting for the entire population, leading one to wonder if these behaviors were due to social and psychological needs not being met.

However, the findings of overpopulation in rat colonies never translated to human overpopulation.

My personal opinions and commentary:

With the last line in mind, I believe these observations were never translated to human behavior due to the taboo nature of the finding. Overpopulation is a major issue not because of lack of material resources, but because it creates a vacuum where the social and psychological needs of many individuals are not met. It literally reduces down to a 'rat race' no pun intended.

I also find it interesting that these studies were dismissed as "rats aren't people," when we use rats to test myriad effects of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals to look for responses that may become similar in humans.

Perhaps the effects of overpopulation are already well known, but what kind of backlash would any leader get for telling people not to have so many kids, or to reduce population density?

It's kind of one of those things that needs to be said, but woe to the person who says it.

Malthusian theory is old school but relevant.

www.intelligenteconomist.com...

Too many conveniences will probably bring in the natural balance of the human population.
Ex. air conditioning
This summer here in Asia we saw people die on the streets due to the heat and that included a few children in the school yards.
Ex. car exhaust
The pollution from it is causing so much damage to the lungs in many parts of China that it will or has shown to cause early deaths. The air pollution is horrible and it doesn't stay all in China. If you flown in air plane at dusk recently you've seen a heavier concentration of orange/yellow dust on the horizon. 50 years ago is when we actually started seeing it due to the auto exhaust that was blown in from California.

Anyway, it will come down to too many conveniences that will be the fall of mankind. It will start all in major cities I believe.

Oh, you'd better believe there would be a massive backlash for that one!

You can blame all the world's problems on anything you want. As long as you don't state the obvious and point out that every single #ing problem humanity has leads back to overpopulation and stupid, unhealthy people breeding more than smart, healthy people.

People can't stand the truth. You don't have any rights at all unless you don't have a job and you want to have 5 kids. Then the world is yours. Every single problem you have becomes everyone else's fault. Got five kids and can't feed them? Blame that rich guy down the street. It's all his fault! If he wasn't rich, you wouldn't be poor with five kids to feed!

By the way, homosexuality isn't a problem except that some people have a problem with homosexuals. It certainly doesn't have a bad effect on the world in the context of overpopulation. The worst thing that's going to happen is gay people might get married and adopt someone else's unwanted kids. Sounds like a win to me if you want to work on fixing overpopulation.

I will admit that being wealthy tends to force people to have to vote for conservatives. Who are generally beholden to religious wackos who are against birth control and abortion.

If you want to fix overpopulation, you definitely need birth control and abortion. Anything you can do to convince stupid broke people not to flood the planet with more stupid broke people is a win.

originally posted by: BrianFlanders

By the way, homosexuality isn't a problem

I agree.

But the video seemed to suggest a spike in homosexual behaviors that were previously non-existent. The alpha males chose to act out homosexuality instead of breeding with females. Proper child-rearing and development also took a back-burner.

It the case of the rat habitats, it was an abnormal behavior.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha

I agree.

But the video seemed to suggest a spike in homosexual behaviors that were previously non-existent. The alpha males chose to act out homosexuality instead of breeding with females. Proper child-rearing and development also took a back-burner.

It the case of the rat habitats, it was an abnormal behavior.

But it could just be down to the rats having more choices when there are more rats. Maybe when there are fewer rats they just don't see any male rats they're kind of attracted to. LOL

Also, females of many species don't make breeding easy. Especially when there's an abundance of eager males. Desperation will lead to substitution. Which (although surprisingly intelligent) rats cannot really touch humans on creativity. IF humans are motivated to do something like not breed, we can find all sorts of creative outlets for that energy. Rats are probably limited by things a rat could figure out.

IOW, if you create abnormal conditions, you can expect abnormal results. In humans, overpopulation is definitely an unnatural state.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha


The effects of overpopulation in rats invariably led to bizarre behaviors such as apathy, homosexuality, and infanticide.

Like humans today....

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
As long as you don't state the obvious and point out that every single #ing problem humanity has leads back to overpopulation and stupid, unhealthy people breeding more than smart, healthy people.
People can't stand the truth.
You don't have any rights at all unless you don't have a job and you want to have 5 kids.
Then the world is yours.
Every single problem you have becomes everyone else's fault.
Got five kids and can't feed them?
Blame that rich guy down the street.
It's all his fault!
If he wasn't rich, you wouldn't be poor with five kids to feed!
By the way, homosexuality isn't a problem except that some people have a problem with homosexuals.
It certainly doesn't have a bad effect on the world in the context of overpopulation.
The worst thing that's going to happen is gay people might get married and adopt someone else's unwanted kids.
Sounds like a win to me if you want to work on fixing overpopulation.

Line for line it's one of the ricketiest stacks of things I've ever seen.

The obvious? You can't even see it. Why try to state it? Do you think it's possible that part of humanity's biggest problem is that so many can be brainwashed into adopting an attitude like yours about "stupid, unhealthy people"? "People can't stand the truth" - nice projection.

Don't you think this is all extreme hyperbole?

Your open encouragement of homosexuality is your business and I'm not out to change your mind; however, I categorically state that I think you are wrong, but I am willing to admit my bias as a heterosexual if you are willing to admit that you could be, maybe, totally full of #.

Take a breather, maybe a break from the internet?

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

This was beautiful.
Thank you.

originally posted by: GreenGunther
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

This was beautiful.
Thank you.

Um what part?

Philosophy and Metaphysics - Universe 25 and The Beautiful Sink.

I went on for 5 pages or so comparing humans and the Calhoun studies. The fact the rats were no longer rats says a bunch. In a sick society the turning off of the social aspect life to groom by oneself is a form of self preservation but the cost is the death of self, the First Death, the death of the social aspect which is a death of spirit, and what it means to be a rat which leads to physical death.

The Beautiful Ones were transferred to other rat colonies. They, when presented with sex, did not participate like they did not know how. All of them died alone. Seeing that happen in humans, now, is too much. Look at all the famous suicides. Look at all the drug overdoses. Look at the odd behavior of people, individuals, like eating the face of another human. Look at the other "abnormal sex" like that Nassar fellow and number of pedos out there. Look at all the gun violence in Chicago. Our society is sick.

One thing to take away from Universe 25 is that it takes a society to save society. There is hope. But if you look closely enough, there is also hell.

We always seem to be on this edge of certain death or glorious salvation.

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
As long as you don't state the obvious and point out that every single #ing problem humanity has leads back to overpopulation and stupid, unhealthy people breeding more than smart, healthy people.
People can't stand the truth.
You don't have any rights at all unless you don't have a job and you want to have 5 kids.
Then the world is yours.
Every single problem you have becomes everyone else's fault.
Got five kids and can't feed them?
Blame that rich guy down the street.
It's all his fault!
If he wasn't rich, you wouldn't be poor with five kids to feed!
By the way, homosexuality isn't a problem except that some people have a problem with homosexuals.
It certainly doesn't have a bad effect on the world in the context of overpopulation.
The worst thing that's going to happen is gay people might get married and adopt someone else's unwanted kids.
Sounds like a win to me if you want to work on fixing overpopulation.

Line for line it's one of the ricketiest stacks of things I've ever seen.

The obvious? You can't even see it. Why try to state it? Do you think it's possible that part of humanity's biggest problem is that so many can be brainwashed into adopting an attitude like yours about "stupid, unhealthy people"? "People can't stand the truth" - nice projection.

Don't you think this is all extreme hyperbole?

Your open encouragement of homosexuality is your business and I'm not out to change your mind; however, I categorically state that I think you are wrong, but I am willing to admit my bias as a heterosexual if you are willing to admit that you could be, maybe, totally full of #.

Take a breather, maybe a break from the internet?

Oh please. We have 7 billion people and at least half of them wouldn't be smart enough to breathe if it wasn't autonomous. The best thing we can hope for is that half will do the anal sex thing instead of reproducing.

But honestly, I'd settle for just knowing the morons of the world adopted a puppy instead of reproducing.

a reply to: BrianFlanders

You first.

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: BrianFlanders

You first.

Oh. I actually practice what I preach. I don't have any kids and don't want any. Never did and never will. At any rate, thanks for proving my point. State a plain fact and expose the real problem and people go bananas and deny it.

a reply to: BrianFlanders

Nice try Mr. Hyperbole.

Listen, I never said you shouldn't enjoy anal sex and a childless life.

Furthermore, I never did, and am still not, going "bananas".

So you lie. Whose point was proven?

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
Who's point was proven?

The one who can spell "whose"?

a reply to: BrianFlanders

All you got?

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: BrianFlanders

All you got?

No, but it's all I need. I rest my case.

a reply to: BrianFlanders

If that's how you live, I rest mine. Enjoy a crappy view of humanity from your dying branch of the tree. At least you have your anal sex?