Shows
Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Exploitation with Hannes RuschWhat 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: Theo...
2025-11-251h 57Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Polygamy with Brooke ScelzaAre 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:
...
2025-11-181h 51Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Leadership with Zach GarfieldAre 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/
2025-11-111h 46Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Cultural Dynamics with Bret BeheimWhat 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
2025-11-042h 04Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Inter-group Relations with Anne PisorAre 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
2025-10-281h 46Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Shame, Pride, and Guilt with Daniel SznycerWhy do we feel shame? Is it a useless emotion? Our guest, Daniel Sznycer (Oklahoma State) has been studying "self-conscious" emotions from a functional/evolutionary perspective. If you're curious about why we feel things like shame, pride, guilt, or how an evolutionary approach can she light on understanding our emotions, this episode is for you.
More about Daniel Sznycer:
https://sites.google.com/view/sznycerlab/sznycer-lab
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AKHl_vwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Other links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate_the_Positive#:~:text=For...
2025-10-212h 04Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Evolutionary Psychology and the Law with Keelah WilliamsMotive? 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
2025-10-141h 45Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Horror and Morbid Curiosity with Coltan ScrivnerGrab some candy (or brains): Halloween is here! This week, we talk to Coltan Scrivner about why we can't look away from the macabre, what exactly the "horror" genre is, and why a self-dose of fear and horror may be good for anxiety. If you are curious about horror, true crime, cobwebs, zombies, great white sharks, Jurassic Park, or whether its good for kids to experience gross or scary things, this episode is for you!
Also, today, Coltan's book, Morbidly Curious, comes out:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705578/morbidly-curious-by-coltan-scrivner-phd/
More about Coltan Scrivner:
2025-10-072h 06Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Cooperative breeding with Karen KramerHow are humans able to sustain large families? What is our "true" reproductive strategy as a species? Are kids designed to raise younger children? And is it unnatural for us to live in such strongly age-segregated societies? In this episode, we talk to Karen Kramer (U of Utah) where we discuss our (possibly unique) ability to live with and raise one another.
More about Karen Kramer:
https://www.sapiens.org/authors/karen-l-kramer/
https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0839608/about
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2tP1330AAAAJ&hl=en
2025-09-301h 16Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Belief with Dan WilliamsWhy do we believe what we believe? And our we aware of why we believe what we believe? And what is a belief anyway? And what should we think of people like Jordan Peterson? We tackle these questions and more in this episode with Dan Williams (Sussex): our first guest representing evolutionary approaches to philosophy.
More about Dan Williams:
https://danwilliamsphilosophy.com/
https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/
2025-09-231h 54Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)The Evolution of Human Longevity with Mike GurvenDid we evolve to live long lives? Is heart disease a human universal? In this episode, we talk to Mike Gurven (UCSB), who has run a number of large-scale studies on the life and health of non-Western populations (among much, much more). And now, he has a new book out (Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer) summarizing the big picture of what we've learned so far!
More about Mike Gurven:
https://www.anth.ucsb.edu/people/michael-gurven
https://gurven.anth.ucsb.edu/
More about the boo...
2025-09-161h 52Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Language and Communication with Thom Scott-PhillipsWhat do the lindy hop, ostensive communication, and the evolution of language all have in common? Thom Scott-Phillips! In this episode, we discuss if language is an adaptation, why art museums have that certain vibe, the theory crisis in the behavioral sciences, the state of scientific publishing, and why Thom loves the lindy hop.
More about Thom Scott-Phillips:
https://www.thomscottphillips.com/
2025-09-091h 38Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)The Evolutionary Psychology of HumorHumor is one of the great puzzles of evolutionary psychology. Co-host David Pinsof (UCLA) presents the coordinating “mix-up” hypothesis of humor, in which….well, you’ll have to listen to find out. By Dave’s account, it is one of the best accounts of the psychology of humor out there (but what do we know?) Content warning: this episode does contain humor (or at least attempts at it).
More about David Pinsof:
https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/
https://www.kremslab.com/people
More about Dave Pietraszewski:
https://cal.ps...
2025-09-021h 45Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Plants, Infants, and the Evolution of Social Learning with Annie WertzPlants are mini chemical weapon factories! Learning and evolution are not opposed! This week, Annie Wertz (UCSB) joins us to describe her groundbreaking world on the evolutionary psychology of what babies know about plants, and how infants selectively use social information to guide their interactions with them. A lovely example of how adopting an evolutionary perspective inspires new areas of research, and a good example of how evolution builds learning mechanisms.
More about Annie Wertz:
https://psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/annie-e-wertz
https://lilac.psych.ucsb.edu/
2025-08-261h 58Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Cooperation with Pat BarclayPat Barclay (Guelph) joins us to discuss his work solving the mysteries of the evolution of cooperation. Pat is a wonderful human being and an exceptional scientist, whose work is at the forefront of understanding how and why we solve the problem of cooperation as a species.
More about Pat Barclay:
http://patbarclay.com/
More about David Pinsof:
https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/
https://www.kremslab.com/people
More about Dave Pietraszewski:
https://cal.psych.ucsb.edu/david-pietraszewski
2025-08-191h 55Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Drugs, Delusions, and Depression with Ed HagenWhy would a mind ever be delusional or depressed, and can we understand these as functional or maladaptive outcomes? Why do humans take drugs, and why do plants make them in the first place? (And why might the answer to the second question also answer the first?) Join us on a fun, wide-ranging conversation with guest Ed Hagen (Washington State, Vancouver) one of evolutionary psychology’s most encyclopedic minds.
More about Ed Hagen:
https://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/hagen/
https://blog.edhagen.net/
Evolutionary Psychology FAQ:
2025-08-122h 00Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Conspiracy Theories and Group Boundaries with Cristina MoyaGuest Cristina Moya (UC Davis) is one of our favorite evolutionary behavioral scientists. In this episode, we discuss her work in Peru on ethnolinguistic group boundaries, why we all believe crazy things, and what the lay of the land is in the evolutionary behavioral sciences.
More about Cristina Moya:
https://sites.google.com/site/cristinasolermoya/pubs?authuser=0
https://anthropology.ucdavis.edu/people/cristina-moya
More about David Pinsof:
https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/
https://www.kremslab.com/people
More about Dave Pietr...
2025-08-052h 01Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Thoughtful Warriors with Brenda BowserGuest Brenda Bowser (CalState Fullerton) recounts a life spent studying conflict and politics in Canambo, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, with her late husband and colleague John Q. Patton. Brenda shares first and second hand accounts of incredible events (including death by phantasm), and how she thinks about status, violence, and conflict, and how these relate to our connections with others. One of our most memorable episodes!
More about Brenda Bowser:
https://anthro.fullerton.edu/People/BrendaBowser.aspx
https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-amazonian-house/
More about John Q...
2025-07-292h 22Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Egalitarianism in the Amazon with Chris Von RuedenEgalitarianism is not what you think it is! Guest Chris Von Rueden (URichmond) has wrapped his head around what egalitarianism is and shares his insights and what he’s learned living with and studying the Tsimane, hunter horticulturists in the Bolivian rainforest. TL;DR: How to make a more just society requires respecting the complexity of our evolved psychology.
More about Chris Von Rueden:
https://sites.google.com/site/chrisvonrueden/home
Tsimane Health and Life History Project:
https://tsimane.anth.ucsb.edu/
More about David Pinsof:
https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/
2025-07-221h 57Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Disgust, Morality, and Kinship with Deb LiebermanWhy do we appeal to disgust when we moralize, and why do we moralize what we find disgusting? Guest Deb Lieberman (UMiami) explains why our human propensity to gang up on others may be driving a lot of our moral sentiments, and why she gets uncomfortable when people appeal to disgust to argue for what is right and wrong.
More about Debra Lieberman:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OhbXo2kAAAAJ&hl=en
https://people.miami.edu/profile/820e96aef57fc53a0625013a86f7ecee
https://www.amazon.com/Obj...
2025-07-152h 31Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Terrorism, Drag Queens, and International Humanitarian Law with Michael MoncrieffFrom offering the UN insights into the psychology of terrorists to interviewing victims of war-torn Croatia, guest Michael Moncrieff has seen a lot of life and yet remains hopeful. Dave wonders aloud why we are so blind to the civilian impacts of war and David and Michael discuss predatory rationality. Michael explains the history of the drag-queen phenomenon from an evolutionary psychological perspective.
More about Michael Moncrieff:
https://www.michaelmoncrieff.com/
More about David Pinsof:
https://www.everythingisbullshit.blog/
https...
2025-07-081h 53Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Bonus: Dave & David (and guest Pat Barclay) Read Some ReviewsDave and David read a review of the podcast, and future guest Pat Barclay (Guelph) joins them for a second reading. Topics include why it may be good to be skeptical of high production values, and the tradeoff between focusing on basic research findings versus their broader implications.
2025-07-0317 minEvolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Examples of Good Evolutionary PsychologyDave and David move beyond the controversies to explain—and give examples of—evolutionary psychology done well. Topics covered include the science of racial categorization and why we get angry. If you’re looking for examples of novel insights in evolutionary psychology, this episode is for you.
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://c...
2025-07-012h 18Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Childhood in the Congo Basin with Sheina Lew-LevyHelicopter 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.co...
2025-06-241h 52Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Friendship with Jaimie KremsWhy 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
2025-06-172h 01Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Mating with Daniel Conroy-BeamGuest 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.e...
2025-06-101h 58Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Controversies in Evolutionary PsychologyDave and David plunge (or dip a toe) into the controversies surrounding evolutionary psychology and try to make a good-faith effort, while not suffering fools (or internet trolls) lightly.
Listen through to the end of this one.
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
2025-06-032h 01Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Basement CultsCo-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/davi...
2025-05-272h 09
Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)Is Evolutionary Psychology Bulls**t?Co-host David Pinsof explains how he discovered evolutionary psychology, why it might not be bulls**t, and why we hate status-seekers (most of the time). Since this is our first episode and it’s been a while, there may be other stuff in this episode, but we don’t remember what it is.
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...
2025-05-201h 56