Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)

How do evolutionary behavioral scientists think about the interplay between our psychology and culture? What causes some cultural norms to persist and spread? Do non-Western combatants in war have something like PTSD? In this episode, we explore all of these questions and more with Sarah Mathew (ASU), who talks about her work with the Turkana, and her long-term interest in the interplay between our evolved psychology of cooperation and violence, and the social norms and institutions that push and pull on our evolved psychology.    More about Sarah Mathew: https://search.asu.edu/profile/2208359 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FqTZawEAAAAJ&hl=en  

Hugo Mercier, a researcher at Institut Jean Nicod, specializes in reasoning and epistemic vigilance. He explains how reasoning evolved for social purposes, highlighting its role in persuasion and argument evaluation. Mercier dives into biases like confirmation bias and the social dynamics that influence justifications. He also discusses the importance of disagreement in sharpening arguments and introduces the concept of epistemic vigilance to assess information. With insights on cultural narratives and the interplay of intuitive and reflective beliefs, this conversation is a deep dive into the cognitive processes behind our reasoning.

What is love? What is regret? What are we missing in our understanding of mating? In this episode we talk to Cari Goetz (Cal State San Bernardino) about the (still largely unexplored) emotions surrounding romance, sex, commitment, and parenting. Topics include: the field's current overemphasis on the early stages of mating, the cultural propaganda surrounding love and related emotions, deliberate ignorance about infidelity, the rehearsal of the social consequences of dating earlier in development, mate ejection strategies, and what love might be at a functional/software level.  More about Cari Goetz: https://www.csusb.edu/profile/cgoetz https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BIKau3cAAAAJ&hl=en

What is exploitation? Why does it happen? And how can we better understand what makes it more or less likely? In this episode, we talk to Hannes Rusch (Max Planck Crime, Security, & Law) about all things exploitation and group-y. Other topics include jobs, mopping, scapegoating, bravery, and how much people care about their group identities.    More about Hannes Rusch:  https://hrusch.de/ https://csl.mpg.de/en/hannes-rusch   Shownotes: Metallica "Man Unkind": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUVr2xnGIEo Exploitation: Theory and Practice https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_3655768_1/component/file_3655769/content  

Are humans designed to be monogamous? Polygamous? In this episode, we talk to Brooke Scelza (UCLA) about her work with the Himba and the complex web of social norms at play in that society and what it can teach us about our evolved psychology. Other topics include parental investment, the state of cross-talk between evolutionary anthropology and psychology, and the sometimes perverse incentives in science and the resulting replication crisis. If you think you do (or do not) understand mating markets and social norms, then this episode is for you.    More about Brooke Schelza: https://bscelza.weebly.com/ https://anthro.ucla.edu/person/brooke-scelza/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=v8E5934AAAAJ&hl=en  

Are mothers the evolutionary crucible of leadership psychology? And is leadership more misunderstood and cryptic than we might think? In this episode, we talk to Zach Garfield (UM6P, Morocco) about all things lead-y and follow-y, and the new and amazing Omo Valley Research Project.  More about Zach Garfield: https://zhgarfield.github.io/ The Omo Valley Research Project (with Luke Glowacki) https://www.omovalleyresearchproject.org/  

What is cultural diffusion, why do need models of cultural change and distance, and what is on Bret's whiteboard? In this episode, we do a deep on how cultural change and distance are measured and studied with Bret Beheim (Max Planck for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig). Other topics include the local norms surrounding red lights and the evergreen game of "go".    More about Bret Beheim: https://babeheim.com/ https://www.eva.mpg.de/ecology/staff/bret-beheim/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V6Ea-MkAAAAJ&hl=en  

Are group boundaries solid, impermeable, and red in tooth-and-claw? Is animosity between groups inevitable? In this episode, we talk to Anne Pisor ( Penn State) about all things inter-group from an evolutionary perspective, including the forging of relationships across group boundaries as a way to deal with uncertainty and risk, and the circumstances that increase or decrease inter-group antagonism.  More about Anne Pisor: https://www.socialitylab.org/ https://anth.la.psu.edu/people/anne-pisor/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Qav4JJ4AAAAJ&hl=en

Daniel Sznycer, an evolutionary psychologist from Oklahoma State, delves into the fascinating world of self-conscious emotions like shame, pride, and guilt. He critiques traditional views on shame, arguing it serves vital social functions, like managing how others value us. Sznycer discusses the difference between shame and guilt, the cultural variations in these emotions, and explores how they impact social dynamics and personal actions. He even connects current societal behaviors to evolutionary insights, making his findings both relevant and relatable.

Motive? Intent? Case closed! In this episode, Keelah Williams (JD, PhD, Hamilton) runs us through our bar exam prelims, explaining how our evolved psychology influences legal decision-making, and what consequences this may have on truth, justice, and much else... If you are interested in how evolutionary approaches inform legal issues, this episode is for you. Bonus: Keelah also discusses her ground-breaking work on ecology stereotypes.  More about Keelah Williams: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=42lmiPwAAAAJ https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/evolution-and-human-behavior/vol/44/issue/3