Keep Talking Episode 111: Joe Henrich - Understanding Human Nature
Joe Henrich is a professor and the author of multiple best-selling books, including The Secret of Our Success and The WEIRDest People in the World. During our conversation, Joe talks about the interplay of genes and culture in human evolution, the importance of our "collective brains," what we misunderstand about human nature, what he's learned from visiting other indigenous cultures, how culture influences testosterone levels in men, how we might help modern, struggling western men, what we've learned about menopause from grandmother killer whales, the frontier of knowledge in human nature, and more.
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00:00 Intro
00:44 We're not individually intelligent
02:56 The reason for green and blue eye color in humans
06:08 A unique psychological aspect of status and prestige in humans
09:02 Human's competitive superpower: our ability to sweat
12:00 A story from Joe's experience with the Machiguenga in the Amazon
16:44 The variability and stability of human nature
18:44 What Westerners misunderstand about human nature
21:30 The link between prestige, good information, and human survival
23:48 Ideas to help modern men
28:28 Where Joe thinks our culture is heading with dating and mating
32:25 We have far more female ancestors as male ancestors
34:14 Testosterone in men in monogamous and non-monogamous cultures
37:09 Big 5 personality traits are not found in non-WEIRD cultures
41:00 Gerontocracy mating cultures in Africa
44:03 What we learn about menopause from grandmother killer whales
46:46 Joe's views on cultural relativism
51:30 Why Joe is so interested in human nature
56:26 What is our best understanding of what it means to be human?
59:17 Joe's forthcoming new book