--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The healthy brain theory proposes that…" description: "\"“The healthy brain theory proposes that our minds are clusters of fitness indicators: persuasive salesmen like art, music, and humor, that do their bes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/geoffrey-miller-33444_art_the-healthy-brain-theory-proposes-that-o_2866743.jpg" --- # The healthy brain theory proposes that our minds are… ![“The healthy brain theory proposes that our minds are clusters of fitness indicators: persuasive salesmen like art, music, and humor, that do their best work in courtship, where the most important deals are made. We” quote by Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/geoffrey-miller-33444_art_the-healthy-brain-theory-proposes-that-o_2866743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/geoffrey-miller-33444_art_the-healthy-brain-theory-proposes-that-o_2866743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/geoffrey-miller-33444_art_the-healthy-brain-theory-proposes-that-o_2866743.jpg) > ““The healthy brain theory proposes that our minds are clusters of fitness indicators: persuasive salesmen like art, music, and humor, that do their best work in courtship, where the most important deals are made. We”” [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our brains are wired to value creative displays like art, music, and humor as signals of fitness during courtship. **In simple terms:** Creative talents signal attractiveness in dating. Key Takeaway Cultivate and appreciate creative expression. Themes evolution courtship creativity Mood analytical insightful Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - dating - marketing - education - media production Key Concepts biology psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why are humor and art persuasive in courtship? - How can we apply this understanding beyond dating? A Different Perspective Not all contexts value these signals equally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [I've always had an a$$-to-the-brain theory. When a player's a$$ gets put on the bench, a message goes straight to the brain saying, Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-knight/i-ve-always-had-an-a-to-the-brain-theory-when-a-player-s-a-gets-put/) [Bobby Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-knight/) > [“The visions of a healthy brain, Give us pleasure over and again; For this home was done, From the daytime dreams of one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-kiam/the-visions-of-a-healthy-brain-give-us-pleasure-over-and-again-for/) [Omar Kiam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-kiam/) > [A woman (Terri Schiavo) was healthy. There was brain damage, there was no question. But from a health point of view, she was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/a-woman-terri-schiavo-was-healthy-there-was-brain-damage-there-was-no/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [In the United States, workouts tend to focus on body image and how you look. For me, it's really all about the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/in-the-united-states-workouts-tend-to-focus-on-body-image-and-how-you/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [“What happens to the brain during exercise? At the start of physical activity, the brain recognizes this period as a moment of stress. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osnat-duman/what-happens-to-the-brain-during-exercise-at-the-start-of-physical/) Osnat Duman > [The runner's greatest asset, apart from essential fitness of body, is a cool and calculating brain allied to confidence and courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-stampfl/the-runner-s-greatest-asset-apart-from-essential-fitness-of-body-is-a/) [Franz Stampfl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-stampfl/) > [Exercise clears my brain of the stresses of poker's ups and downs, and allows me to re-focus my mind on the next day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/exercise-clears-my-brain-of-the-stresses-of-poker-s-ups-and-downs-and/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [Whatever you train, you change your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/whatever-you-train-you-change-your-brain/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) ## More by Geoffrey Miller > [If you don't have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won't have the willpower to do a dissertation. #truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/if-you-don-t-have-the-willpower-to-stop-eating-carbs-you-won-t-have/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [These capacities for randomness may have been amplified into human creativity through sexual and social selection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/these-capacities-for-randomness-may-have-been-amplified-into-human/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Thus the name of the game when it comes to evolution is not obtaining food or other resources: it is reproduction. Which came first,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/thus-the-name-of-the-game-when-it-comes-to-evolution-is-not-obtaining/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [Scientific theories never dictate human values, but they can often cast new light on ethical issues. From a sexual selection viewpoint, moral philosophy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/scientific-theories-never-dictate-human-values-but-they-can-often/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“A person of limited intelligence but high conscientiousness can make a valuable employee; a person of higher intelligence but very low conscientiousness is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/a-person-of-limited-intelligence-but-high-conscientiousness-can-make/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Psychopathy is basically the absence of sympathy. There are fewer female psychopaths, perhaps because female psychophats would not have shown sufficient sympathy to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/psychopathy-is-basically-the-absence-of-sympathy-there-are-fewer/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Our responsibility is not to speculate endlessly about the possible futures of our daughter species, but to become, with as much panache as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/our-responsibility-is-not-to-speculate-endlessly-about-the-possible/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Men write more books. Men give more lectures. Men ask more questions after lectures. Men post more e-mail to Internet discussion groups. To say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/men-write-more-books-men-give-more-lectures-men-ask-more-questions/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“David Buss has amassed a lot of evidence that human females across many cultures tend to prefer males who have high social status, good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/david-buss-has-amassed-a-lot-of-evidence-that-human-females-across/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“You could be the fittest person imaginable in terms of strength, intelligence, disease resistance and vitality, but if you fail to reproduce your contribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/you-could-be-the-fittest-person-imaginable-in-terms-of-strength/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Existing political philosophies all developed before evolutionary game theory, so they do not take equilibrium selection into account. Socialism pretends that individuals are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/existing-political-philosophies-all-developed-before-evolutionary/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [“Imagine a young Isaac Newton time-travelling from 1670s England to teach Harvard undergrads in 2017. After the time-jump, Newton still has an obsessive, paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/imagine-a-young-isaac-newton-time-travelling-from-1670s-england-to/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [If most of your courtship attempts have succeeded, you must be a very attractive and charming person who has been aiming too low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/if-most-of-your-courtship-attempts-have-succeeded-you-must-be-a-very/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [Consumerism is hard to describe when it's the ocean and we're the plankton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/consumerism-is-hard-to-describe-when-it-s-the-ocean-and-we-re-the/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) [Explore all 15 Geoffrey Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The healthy brain theory proposes that our minds are clusters of fitness indicators: persuasive salesmen like art, music, and humor, that do their best work in courtship, where the most important deals are made. 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