Beat Your Genes Podcast

Evolutionary psychologist, Doug Lisle, PhD and social scientist, Jen Howk, PhD discuss a very misleading graph in a recent paper published in Lancet Journal along with the following listener questions: 1.To what extent would you say children, money and marriage contracts keep sub-par relationships intact today vs. the lesser stickiness of relationships in the stone age. This isn't always a bad thi...

Evolutionary Psychologist, Doug Lisle, PhD, and Harvard social scientist, Jen Howk, PhD. discuss physical attractiveness & general health, whether a relationship can fall apart from a simple misunderstanding, choosing one passion from many, and finding the courage to make hard decisions about a relationship.   Study mentioned:  "Physical Attractiveness & CardioMetabolic Risk" https://doi.org/10.10...

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle & Howk discuss:  You talk about Tears, Anger, Force, Fraud and Free Trade RA strategies. Why did you exclude sex from this list? And in particular, women dangling sex to get men to do stuff. I guess we can ideally put this in the FREE TRADE category, but sex can be gotten by using any of these other RA strategies too I suppose. Anything more to add here? Do the doctor...

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle and Howk discuss the following questions: I listened to your talk discussing whether humans actually have Free Will: If we, as an organism are just doing what we perceive is optimal for the species in survival and reproduction, does that mean that I should not be very angry at my father who cheated on my Mom repeatedly, divorced her, and spent the rest of his life hit...

In today's show, Dr. Lisle & Howk review the following questions:  How do you reconcile Dr. Jen's potted plant theory with Dr. Lisle's ego trap? As someone that is over 90th percentile introverted and emotionally unstable I find I prefer to keep my world very small and do not have energy for much socializing outside of working full time in an office full of people. Sometimes people encourage me to...

In today's show, Dr. Lisle discusses in detail "Where does the evidence for evolutionary psychology come from?" Our first question from a listener begins, " I am incredibly fascinated by EP and feel that I have learned so much from the show. I do wonder sometimes though when the questions get answered, what evidence/research is it based on? Assuming the conclusions are inferred... there obviously...

Why do women fall in love with villains in romance novels? I was reading through my girlfriend's provocative novels and the men in these books are not noble or kind, they are dark, twisted, cruel, violent criminals, stalkers, vampires, demons or devils. The sex scenes are aggressive and violent. An example I will never forget is the love interest, who is a stalker, violating the woman with a loade...

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle & Dr. Howk discuss artifical intelligence and some of their fears for the future.  Then at 26:15, the discussion turns to answering these listener questions:  1. I am a frustrated serial monogamist female looking for my magic 10%. For the past six years, I've been in several long-term relationships. I enter every relationship with the hope that he is the one and the d...

In today's show, Dr. Lisle and Howk discuss the following questions: 1.  Has the team discussed how information overload impedes progress and making changes to one's health? I'd assume one can overdo information gathering, whether it's from podcasts, books, or blogs. As a clinician, how can we help clients get out of this stagnant, noncommittal place? Also, it seems to cause people a lot of stress...

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle & Howk discuss the following questions:   1. Jordan Peterson mentioned briefly in a video that increasing oxytocin can increase agreeableness. He also gives advice that agreeable people can become more disagreeable by "waking the circuit up" if it's laying dormant in you. He thinks we have a wide range of genetic propensities, some that are switched on and it's possib...

In today's episode, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk discuss the following listener questions: How do you square the notion that there is "no 1 mate" (or job, friend etc) with the jealousy/abuse/ stalking (and worse) that happens in relationships. What type of general education on this concept could be offered to attempt to mitigate such costly stone age behavior.  Related, can u talk about the treatment of...

In our 300th episode (actually episode 301, but we wanted to save it for Dr. Howk),  Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk take a break from solving listener problems and answering listener questions and instead turn towards answering some fun, personal questions.      

Upcoming seminar Sun, Feb 19:  True to Life Seminar - visit www. TrueToLife.us to register.    In this show, Dr. Lisle discusses: 1. I am still trying to figure out genetics and evolution (I wasn't taught it), so I might be way oversimplifying this. If you get a set of genes from your parents and they get a set of genes from each of their parents, wouldn't you be able to track a certain genetic tr...

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 populat...

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...

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...

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...

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 colon...

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 wro...

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 dealin...

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...

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, where...

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 ye...

What is the ideal level of exercise for one's health? Five years ago, I was diagnosed with severe OCD. After two years of painstaking efforts, I successfully got off SSRI and recovered without the help of therapy sessions. During the height of OCD, my wife treated me with contempt, frustration, anger, hostility and total lack of compassion and patience. She justified that in the past - when were w...

In today's show, the Dr's discuss new evidence about anti-depressant treament and then discuss the following questions:  I think I have messed up my dopamine reward system and I don't know how to fix it or if I want to. I am early 40's, single and have been in many relationships. I don't have trouble attracting men. I think if I just decided it was time then I would settle for one but to me it is...