Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)

Helicopter parenting is not a human universal! Guest Sheina Lew-Levy (Durham) explains what drew her to studying childhood among BaYaka foragers in the Congo Basin, and what parenting and childhood is like there and how this helps us understand who we are and what we need growing up. In this episode we also cover why field anthropologists are bad*ss and how, for David, “roughing it” involves staying at a 3-star hotel without room-service.    More about Sheina Lew-Levy:    https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/sheina-lew-levy/   https://sites.google.com/view/sheinalewlevy/home   More about David Pinsof:    https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/   https://www.kremslab.com/people   More about Dave Pietraszewski:    https://cal.psych.ucsb.edu/david-pietraszewski  

Why is the study of friendship so lonely, and what makes Philadelphia Philly? Guest Jaimie Krems (UCLA) explains why friendship is a blindspot in science, and why she has no advice to give you if you’re feeling lonely (we’re only half-kidding). If you do want friends, don’t want friends, or have friends, you should listen to this episode.  More about Jaimie Krems:    UCLA Social Minds Lab   More about David Pinsof:    https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/   https://www.kremslab.com/people   More about Dave Pietraszewski:    https://cal.psych.ucsb.edu/david-pietraszewski  

Guest Daniel Conroy-Beam (UCSB) explains why human mating has occupied the interest of evolutionary psychologists, what consequences this has had on science, and how things might be done better. If you want to understand the science behind why we prefer certain other people to bonk, don’t listen to this episode (we’re kidding, this is exactly what Dan studies).    More about Daniel Conroy-Beam:    Computational Mate Choice @ UCSB   https://psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/daniel-conroy-beam    More about David Pinsof:    https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/   https://www.kremslab.com/people   More about Dave Pietraszewski:    https://cal.psych.ucsb.edu/david-pietraszewski

The hosts dive into the controversies of evolutionary psychology, tackling complex subjects like feminism and sexism. They discuss common misconceptions and the political implications of misunderstandings in the field. The conversation shifts to cultural dynamics and how information evolves through interpersonal communication. Group dynamics reveal the innate needs that influence social behavior, while a critique of gender disparities in leadership highlights societal views and interests. Ultimately, they advocate for a nuanced understanding of human nature.

Co-host Dave Pietraszewski explains how he learned to love evolutionary psychology despite hating it at first, why attending basement cults as a child in upstate New York wasn’t all bad, really, and why he thinks understanding the human mind will require eventually understanding the evolutionary psychology of psychologists.    More about Evolutionary Psychology  The Center for Evolutionary Psychology “Primer”   More about David Pinsof:  https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/ https://www.kremslab.com/people   More about Dave Pietraszewski:  https://cal.psych.ucsb.edu/david-pietraszewski   Things mentioned this Episode:  Dave & Annie Wertz’s Modularity Paper Planetary Regression Dave’s How our intuitive psychology shapes our science paper Wayne Wu's paper on attention Music by David Pinsof Produced by Naomi Monahan-Miller  

David Pinsof dives into evolutionary psychology, sharing his journey and the debate on whether it's credible. The discussion explores our complicated relationship with status-seeking and how it affects social interactions. They analyze dominance hierarchies in humans and primates, revealing unsettling truths about power. The nuances of collective action and its moral narratives highlight the tension between self-interest and altruism. Plus, they critique the educational system's failure to nurture creativity, emphasizing the need for systemic change.