Beat Your Genes Podcast

1. I am curious about an unpopular subject: systematic eugenics.  Has "random” selection in the mating market already produced the best possible human genes combinations? Could we generate humans with drastically higher IQ, strength, size, speed, athleticism, beauty, etc? What do you think is the hypothetical limit of human genetic potential for outlier individuals and for the average of a population?  This kind of discussion is often obscured by the obvious practical and ethical problems, rather than what it could theoretically achieve. 2.My husband's daughter is extremely disagreeable, low conscientiousness, low IQ, highly introverted, open to drugs and alcohol and unstable. She is in constant crisis and is constantly threatening suicide. My husband and I have really tried to be there for her and never miss a call, but her constant cries for attention are draining and have taken years off our lives. I don't want to discount anything that she is feeling but my and my husband's mental health are really suffering and we don't know what to do.  3.How do you respond to a child who has no recognition of their limitations? i.e. on the verge of being fired because they constantly call in "sick," show up late, don't do their job. Or the child who barely passed chemistry but says they are going to med school? Even if we say "That's great, but I understand med school is a lot of work" she gets mad and tells us and all her friends that we told her that she was a loser and a failure and because of us, she isn't going to med school anymore and instead she's stuck in a minimum wage job. Then she gets depressed at what might have been if we hadn't held her back. But if we say nothing, then she tries and fails (or fails to try) and becomes depressed and that somehow becomes our fault too.   Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk discuss the following question: Given that depression is inherently demotivating (because it is failure feedback that tells you to stop what you're doing), how might one 'bootstrap' oneself into more positive, motivated mood states? I wonder what people in the Stone Age village would have done to bounce back from failure feedback; it makes most of us want to curl into a ball and die. How does depression actually end up benefiting and motivating us? Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

In today's show (episode 295), Dr. Lisle discusses the following questions: I am a 35 year old female and I don’t know what to do with my life. I have a bachelors degree in biochemistry and doctorate degree in pharmacy. I worked as a clinical pharmacist for a year but I got bored and I quit. Then I worked as a massage therapist, a real estate agent, and a dental hygienist. I got bored of these as well. They just didn’t satisfy me, even though I don’t even know what I’m looking for or what I want. My relationships are the same as my careers - casual at best with many different men. I really want to settle down in a career and relationship but I just seem unable to. What should I do? The euthanasia law changes in Canada to include mental illness as a valid reason seem deeply disturbing to me based on an evolutionary psychology perspective for people in the majority of situations. This would have been considered a "slippery slope" argument on euthanasia in the past, I cannot see how they are considered logical fallacies anymore at this point. What is your libertarian perspective on this issue given your wealth of knowledge within these areas? My son recently became disabled. If “finding yourself in good circumstances” is what leads to feelings of happiness, how will I ever feel happiness again? How could I ever feel “happiness” for him if everything about his life is now difficult and painful. These are not good circumstances. My pain and sadness for him and his future is indescribable. Can you discuss adrenaline rush and the people who seek it? especially with respect to free climbers.. i mean i get the status acquisition part but god are they crazy ?  I am curious about how homophobic sentiment arose in humans. Has it always been there? Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

In our final show of 2022, Dr. Howk and Dr. Lisle have a discussion about current events and the year to come.  For more information on their upcoming "True to Life" Seminar being held live & virtually on Feb 19th , please visit www.TruetoLife.us     Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

Dr. Lisle & Dr. Howk are having a virtual seminar Sunday Feb 19, 2023.  Visit www.TrueToLife.us for details!  In today's episode, the Dr's discuss: Could you discuss cultural appropriation?  Especially with regards to not sporting wigs etc I for one really admire when people dress up like people from my culture and use the same hair and face accessories even though in the past we were under colonial rule and oppressed. Are men, now, in a world where women also make a lot of money, willing to sleep down if they themselves don't make much money? In episode 288, the Dr's talked about how one might stumble into a dream job - and exposed the dynamics that would have likely taken place. Could you help us get some idea of how young people in their 20s can increase the likelihood of stumbling into a good fit job. Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

Announcements:    -On Feb 19, 2023, Dr. Lisle & Howk are doing a Live Seminar called the True to Life Series.   Registration link:  www.TrueToLife.us -Episodes 294 & 295 will be released in the coming weeks.    In today's show the dr's discuss:  Do people feel disgust for themselves when they are a minority in the village? Like you’ve said, disgust evolved not just out of a sense of right and wrong, but also out of infection and threat. So, my question is, do (racial, sexual, etc) minorities suffer because their internal audience will be in tune with the majority community's sense of disgust and/or threat around them? How important is it to have people who look, think, love, and are like you for your self esteem? What is the psychology behind interrupting people in conversation? I’ve read that we’re “wired to tie up loose ends” meaning that it feels good to tie up a thought that may get forgotten about or change as the conversation carries on. Also, do you think most people really listen to what we are saying or are they just waiting for their turn to speak? Can neuroplasticity be used to change personality ? or is it that the DNA remains the same thus the way new neurons or connections form is also predetermined ? Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

In today's show, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk discuss: How well does clinical evolutionary psychology explain and treat behavioural problems of children such as aggression or violence (often in cases even towards their own parents who have a reliable history of being loving and warm and not abusive). Any recommendations for literature/ reading sources/ books on psychology for people interested in dealing with aggressive kids? I have been told often that men retreat from their romantic partner emotionally when they are upset, is that a gender difference in coping mechanisms or is it just that men are inherently less invested in relationships than women? 1)what impact has women's education and empowerment had on gender dynamics? 2)if left to our primal instincts i.e. hypothetically if in a place where humans are born and there is no culture to begin with, would men be inseminating attractive women left right and centre forcefully/ by overpowering them (especially adolescent fertile girls) or is there now a genetic component of mutual consent seeking ?

Why do men seem to be so enraptured by “ditzy” girls? They trip over themselves trying to take care of her. Is it an behavioral manifestation of attractive estrogen levels in the woman? How did gratitude and gratefulness come to evolve in human beings. if one analyses it, it is an extremely complex highly advanced thought process about how bad a situation could have been and the fact that its not one must accept, acknowledge and recalibrate one's esteem cues and status so as to not be sad/depressed/ low about a certain event. How does one’s personality influence the quality of the internal audience? I can imagine that someone higher in C would have a lower or maybe harsher internal audience. I am curious about a few inferences I made about the interface between environment and personality. High conscientiousness and agreeableness implies a higher likelihood of accepting and following social norms. In other words, these genetic traits are responsible for preserving the cultural environment. On the other hand, a person with high conscientiousness but low agreeableness is more likely to develop and carry out their own credo, based more on their personal experiences and judgement. Does any of that pass the smell test, or better yet, is there research that supports or disconfirms any of it? Over a period of million years, if we keep eating the way we eat (high fat salt sugar diet),would eventually those individuals get selected whose genetic variations are such that can tolerate the high fat diet and still survive for a hundred years. would that be a fitter, new species then ? Could you explain empathy , the processes involved, the CB that we run, etc through the lens of evo psych. Also is empathy a cognitive process or it is a means to an end i.e. a signalling device?

In today's show, Dr. Lisle discusses: Dear doctors, although addiction has been discussed extensively already im still trying to piece it together, thus would like your comments on the following: In a state of anxiety, stress and depression where we are getting negative esteem cues and dopamine levels are low, a substance that boosts dopamine can take one from 20 to say 80 on pleasure scale, whereas if you are content and calm that substance may take you from a 60 to say 70 or 80 which the brain doesnt recognise as a significant increment. does this mean that poeple who are sad are much more likely to get addicted to substances, much like the harvard study revealed? Do you think it would be beneficial to include evolutionary psychology in school curriculums? At what age would children be able to grasp and understand these concepts? What impact would an awareness of our instinct to grade attractiveness and our genetic constraints of majorly being attracted to people 20% above and below ( depending on mating strategy) have on human relations and behaviour? Would it ultimately enrich life experiences? My dad was a smoker in his twenties. my mom told me that he gave it up after the birth of my elder sister. growing up i remember that there was a sealed packet of cigarettes in a certain drawer that never moved, which my dad had kept to remind himself of the fact that he had quit and to practise willpower. after learning about channel factors this seems like a stupid decision in retrospect. what may be your comments on this? Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus

In today's show, the dr's discuss: How does evolutionary psychology approach the complex human need to understand how/why/when about the workings of the universe   hello! i am just curious how this podcast came into being and the aim behind it, as it appears to be an extremely altruistic dissipation of scientifically accurate advice and help. highly grateful for it. thankyou! greetings! i am 23 years old, from a pretty conservative nation and feel i have missed out on many life experiences thus do not want a kid as i want the rest of my life completely for myself and for the pursuit of other achievements. today's seemingly increasingly apocalyptic world (due to climate change and resource shortage) further kills the desire to bring forth a child. i feel its the poorly lived childhood and early adult experiences that prevent me from wanting a kid. would it be possible to understand the psychology behind it with respect to the fact that childhood experiences don't shape our desires? why do some women not want kids? Does having bad childhood experiences cause depression? Who’s philosophers view of the world do you agree with the most? What does Dr.Lisle think of the view of ancient Greek atomists? Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast Host: Nathan Gershfeld                               Interviewee: Doug Lisle, Ph.D. and Jen Howk, Ph.D. Podcast website:  www.BeatYourGenes.org True to Life seminars with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk : www.TrueToLife.us   Intro & outro song: City of Happy Ones · Ferenc Hegedus