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Psychologists have long been interested in how people prioritize life goals.

Life History Theory focuses on the tradeoffs we make allocating energy to survival, growth, and reproduction.

A recent study found surprising consensus among young people regarding their most important goals.

What are your fundamental motives, your most important life goals? This motivation question has busied psychologists and theorists for millennia. One interesting approach to addressing this question, Life History Theory, borrows from evolutionary science to focus on the tradeoffs that individuals make in allocating energy to survival, growth, and reproduction.

According to the theory, life unfolds via a competitive process between various forms in order to obtain energy from the environment and convert it for survival and reproduction. A hunter may obtain energy through consuming prey and, in turn, allocate it toward survival (building shelter) and reproductive (having sex) activities. The challenge is that energy is limited, and its allocation therefore requires tradeoffs—forced decisions about how to spend it. Expend much energy now, and you’ll have less later. Focus on doing one task, and you’ll have nothing left for another. Evolution will favor those who allocate wisely toward fitness. In this sense, natural selection is........

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