The institution of marriage developed from the need to avoid sexual diseases, say researchers

'This research shows how the spread of contagious diseases can strongly influence the development of social norms,' academic says.

“Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage” sang Frank Sinatra in 1955.

However, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications, monogamous relationships developed for a markedly less romantic reason – the need to avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Academics used mathematical computer modelling techniques to understand how different social mating behaviours evolved in early human societies.

In early hunter-gatherer groups, a few males monopolised mating with a larger number of women. Within smaller groups, sexually transmitted diseases tended to be short-lived with no significant effect. But humans turned to agriculture and the size of communities grew, the research found the prevalence of STIs would have increased among polygamist networks.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/humans-monogamy-marriage-stis-sexual-diseases-a6982531.html