The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam GrantWhat Chimpanzees Reveal About How We Connect and Divide with Aaron Sandel | The Curiosity Shop
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- September 3, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 25m
- Channel
- The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Primatologist Aaron Sandel has spent over a decade studying the Ngogo chimpanzees, witnessing one of the largest known chimp communities split into two factions. In this episode, Aaron joins Brené and Adam to explore what chimpanzees can teach us about friendship, conflict, belonging, and human nature. He shares what he learned from watching these chimps show affection, navigate dominance hierarchies, and face the effects of division within their own community. Aaron also reflects on what it was like to watch chimps he knew by name turn against one another, while exploring the surprising depth of bonds between chimpanzees. Together, they explore the parallels between chimpanzee behavior and the ways we harmonize, polarize, and build communities in our own lives. #adamgrant #brenebrown #thecuriosityshop #chimpempire Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop About The Curiosity Shop: Research professor Brené Brown and organizational psychologist Adam Grant are partnering on a new weekly podcast grounded in an unflinching commitment to learning and unlearning. At a time when public discourse rewards certainty over inquiry, The Curiosity Shop features two of the world's most sought-after experts on connection, change, and leadership making the case for slowing down, asking better questions, and embracing informed complexity over easy answers. Bringing together their left and right brain sensibilities — she’s a qualitative researcher; he’s a quantitative researcher — they explore some of the defining questions of our time, unpack the research reshaping how we live, lead, and love, and dive deep into the ideas, evidence, and cultural moments intriguing them the most. New episodes drop every Thursday. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Connect with The Curiosity Shop: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecuriosityshop/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1730985049 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6?si=e2483abb4eed4b03 Connect with Brené Brown: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenebrown/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenebrown/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenebrown/ Connect with Adam Grant: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamgrant/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammgrant/ X: https://x.com/adammgrant/ ============================= Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Curiosity Shop 1:02 Welcoming Dr. Aaron Sandell 2:03 The Science Of Social Bonds 6:47 How He Became A Primatologist 11:04 Do We Need A "Them" For An "Us"? 12:15 Why The Western And Central Groups Are Divided 16:05 How Chimp Dominance Hierarchies Work 19:21 Miles, Jackson, And The Community Split 27:07 Mysterious Deaths Fracture The Group 29:03 Jackson Takes Over As Alpha 32:39 Territorial Patrols And Lethal Violence Explained 37:35 A Devastating Loss: Errol 44:02 Choosing Understanding Over Demonization 52:09 Chimps And The Meaning Of Friendship 59:16 Mother-Offspring And Male "Brotherhood" 1:01:06 Why Adolescent Females Leave The Group 1:08:27 Lightning Round 1:14:34 Brené & Adam's Takeaways Show Notes: http://thecuriosityshop.com/podcast/what-chimpanzees-reveal-about-how-we-connect-and-divide-with-aaron-sandel/ What Chimpanzees Reveal About How We Connect and Divide | The Curiosity Shop https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop
SPEAKERS
Brené Brown
hostResearch professor and bestselling author known for work on vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy.
Adam Grant
hostOrganizational psychologist and professor known for research on work, motivation, and relationships.
Dr. Aaron Sandel
guestAnthropologist and primatologist who studies chimpanzee behavior, social relationships, and conflict in the field.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, featuring Brené Brown and Adam Grant, What Chimpanzees Reveal About How We Connect and Divide with Aaron Sandel | The Curiosity Shop explores ngogo chimps reveal how bonds form, fracture, and turn violent The episode uses the Ngogo chimpanzees (featured in Netflix’s *Chimp Empire*) to explore how social bonds form, fracture, and sometimes turn lethally violent, with parallels to human polarization and war.
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