Grab 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:
https://www.coltanscrivner.com/
https://www.morbidlycuriousthoughts.com/
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2:06:05
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2:06:05
Cooperative breeding with Karen Kramer
How 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
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1:16:14
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1:16:14
Belief with Dan Williams
Why 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/
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1:54:16
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1:54:16
The Evolution of Human Longevity with Mike Gurven
Did 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 book (Mike is the real deal, so we are happy to plug his book!):
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691231990/seven-decades
Enter code (PUP30 for a discount)
https://www.target.com/p/seven-decades-by-michael-d-gurven-hardcover/-/A-94306245
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Decades-Evolved-Live-Longer/dp/0691231990/ref=sr_1_1
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1:52:34
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1:52:34
Language and Communication with Thom Scott-Phillips
What 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/
Actual evolutionary psychology by actual evolutionary psychologists. Hosted by Dave Pietraszewski and David Pinsof. Every week, Dave and David bring cutting-edge work in the evolutionary behavioral sciences to you.