Why Humans Prefer Phylogenetically Closer Species: An Evolutionary, Neurocognitive, and Cultural Synthesis

Humans form deep attachments to some nonhuman animals, yet these attachments are unequally distributed across the tree of life. Drawing on evolutionary biology, comparative cognition, neuroscience, and cultural anthropology, this narrative review explains why empathy and affective preference are typically stronger for phylogenetically closer species—especially mammals—than for distant taxa such as reptiles, fish, or arthropods. We synthesize evidence that signal recognizability (faces, gaze, vocal formants, biological motion) and predictive social cognition facilitate mind attribution to mammals; conserved neuroendocrine systems (e.g., oxytocin) further amplify affiliative exchange, particularly in domesticated dyads (e.g., dog–human). Ontogenetic learning and media narratives magnify these effects, while fear modules and disgust shape responses to some distant taxa. Notwithstanding this average gradient, boundary cases—cephalopods, cetaceans, parrots—show that perceived agency, sociality, and communicative transparency can overcome phylogenetic distance. We discuss measurement (behavioral, psychophysiological, neuroimaging), computational accounts in predictive-processing terms, and implications for animal welfare and conservation. Pragmatically, calibrated anthropomorphism, hands‑on education, and messaging that highlights agency, parental care, or ecological function reliably broaden concern for under‑represented taxa. Recognizing both evolved priors and cultural plasticity enables more equitable and effective science communication and policy. Expanding empathy beyond its ancestral anchors is not only an ethical imperative but a One Health necessity: safeguarding all species means safeguarding the integrity of our shared planetary life.