Our Human Nature

Women and children suffer the most during war. As we close out International Women's Month, it is appropriate to reflect on the rising cost of war on civilian populations, and particularly women. The United Nations has noted that war-related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) has nearly doubled in recent years, as record numbers of women live within 50km of active conflicts. This episode disc...

In this episode of Our Human Nature, I discuss our plummeting global fertility rates, the incredible challenge this poses to nations, and the surprising connection between low birth rates and war. Around the globe, birth rates are falling below replacement rate. Our overall fertility rate has dropped in half since the 1960s. By the end of this century, only 6 nations are forecast to have enough bi...

The most successful corporations in the world prioritize culture. While most companies advertise culture as a core pillar, many fail to fully operationalize it. This episode discusses the role of culture in several different domains, from medicine and patient safety to negotiation training, and from failed mergers to war. What are the lessons we can learn from these seemingly disparate arenas? Wha...

We are in the midst of a global friendship recession. And despite the strong social and evolutionary role friendship has played in our long human story, we have seen, in just one generation, a rapid decline in both the quantity and quality of friendships. This podcast digs deep into the science of friendship, from the changing nature of cooperation and competition, to why uncertainty in our world...

Like all creatures, one of our core biological imperatives is the need to reproduce. Yet, amidst rapid social change, we are seeing lower rates of marriage and fewer children. Traditional life scripts around marriage, monogamy, and family, are being challenged. But is this a temporary trend, or is it a more honest understanding of our human nature? To what extent are norms, ethics, and institution...

How did a high school teacher create a fascist regime in less than three days? What percentage of us would kill another person simply because we were told we must? Why is conforming to the group more powerful than being moral or right? What did the Covid-19 pandemic tell us about our hardwired need to belong and what does it mean for our future?

We all want happiness, for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet, despite our knowledge of how to live better lives and our various New Year's resolutions, we still struggle to find it. What does the science say about happiness? Who does it best and why? What are the common social roadblocks that get in the way? Does money buy happiness? And, what is the link between happiness, biological health, and...

Why is it that women are several times more likely to have their heart attack symptoms dismissed than men? Why, during the Covid-19 pandemic, were women less likely than men to receive X-rays and blood tests? Why are men often given pain medications while women are given sedatives? Why does gynaecological cancer research receive less funding than cancers that predominantly affect men? In this epis...

We currently have more wars between nations than at any other time since the end of World War II. Our ability to chart a course for peace, and a challenge that will face the new Trump Administration, will require a sophisticated understanding of the social dimensions that underpin conflict, both between and within states. In this episode, I discuss a few of war's constants; those attributes we mus...

Part 2 of our discussion on modern masculinity. Our mission, to rid our world of toxic masculinity, and to remake modern men, will involve squaring our evolutionary hardwiring with the expectations of a changing social world. 

Young men today are suffering from astonishing rates of testosterone decline, poor fitness, social isolation, and overall risk-aversion. In this episode we explore some of these trends, both biological and social, and consider the question of whether we need manly men in a modern egalitarian world, or whether we are taking our first steps into a post-masculine society.

Our world is changing at a greater rate than ever before. Despite the incredible volume of information at our fingertips on how to live better, healthier, and more peaceful lives, we are seeing, in many cases, the opposite effect; political and ideological divisiveness, war, and poor physical and mental health. We are at a crossroads, the likes of which we have never before seen in human history. 

Dr. Robert Barrett introduces Our Human Nature, an exploration of what it means to be human in a changing world.