The Controversial Truth About Genetics Nobody Wants to Admit - Dr Kathryn Paige Harden

Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden is a psychologist and behavioural geneticist, Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and an author. Are people born evil, or does evil emerge from circumstance? While we tend to blame genetics for humanity’s darkest behaviours, science and psychology suggest a far more complicated picture. If biology, environment, and experience all shape behaviour, how should society judge, or punish, those who may never have had full control over who they became? Expect to learn what Kathryn learned from her first 4 million-person study, what the evolutionary roots of aggression, dominance, and impulsivity are, if there is a heritability of antisocial behaviour, why punishment is a useful tool for responding to harm, what Kathryn makes of the looksmaxxing movement, and much more… - 0:00 Why Kathryn’s Last Book Was So Controversial 5:28 What Drives Risk-Taking Behaviour? 9:21 What Drew Kathryn to the World of Antisocial Behaviour? 11:59 How Humans Have Evolved to Become Deviant 20:48 Should You Wait Until 30 To Try Drugs? 25:02 Is Punishment More About Circumstance Than Crime? 31:02 How Genetic is Deviance? 35:14 Why Bad Behaviour in Kids Makes Us So Uncomfortable 43:01 When Do You Become Responsible For Your Actions? 47:43 Is Addiction Genetic? 53:47 Are Men More Prone to Antisocial Traits? 1:03:24 If Behaviour is Genetic, How Do We Justify Punishment? 1:11:09 Should Genetic Behaviour Affect Criminal Sentencing? 1:26:52 Why Do We Crave Retribution? 1:32:05 Do We Enjoy Judging Others? 1:43:15 Does Prison Actually Work? 1:51:49 We Need to Question Our Own Moral Instincts 1:58:14 The Top Reasons Epigenetic Inheritance So Controversial 2:04:50 Does Environment During Pregnancy Shape a Child’s Genes? 2:10:11 How Much of Motherhood is Just Luck? 2:13:46 Kathryn’s Ethical Stance on Embryo Selection 2:29:37 Can Embryo Selection Prevent a Crumbling Genome? 2:36:45 Is It Fair to Suppress Genetic Behaviour in Men? 2:49:25 Is Looksmaxxing Damaging Our Genetics? 2:59:55 Where to Find Kathryn - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostDr. Kathryn Paige Hardenguest

Mar 2, 20263h 0mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: March 2, 2026
Duration: 3h 0m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden is a psychologist and behavioural geneticist, Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and an author. Are people born evil, or does evil emerge from circumstance? While we tend to blame genetics for humanity’s darkest behaviours, science and psychology suggest a far more complicated picture. If biology, environment, and experience all shape behaviour, how should society judge, or punish, those who may never have had full control over who they became? Expect to learn what Kathryn learned from her first 4 million-person study, what the evolutionary roots of aggression, dominance, and impulsivity are, if there is a heritability of antisocial behaviour, why punishment is a useful tool for responding to harm, what Kathryn makes of the looksmaxxing movement, and much more… - 0:00 Why Kathryn’s Last Book Was So Controversial 5:28 What Drives Risk-Taking Behaviour? 9:21 What Drew Kathryn to the World of Antisocial Behaviour? 11:59 How Humans Have Evolved to Become Deviant 20:48 Should You Wait Until 30 To Try Drugs? 25:02 Is Punishment More About Circumstance Than Crime? 31:02 How Genetic is Deviance? 35:14 Why Bad Behaviour in Kids Makes Us So Uncomfortable 43:01 When Do You Become Responsible For Your Actions? 47:43 Is Addiction Genetic? 53:47 Are Men More Prone to Antisocial Traits? 1:03:24 If Behaviour is Genetic, How Do We Justify Punishment? 1:11:09 Should Genetic Behaviour Affect Criminal Sentencing? 1:26:52 Why Do We Crave Retribution? 1:32:05 Do We Enjoy Judging Others? 1:43:15 Does Prison Actually Work? 1:51:49 We Need to Question Our Own Moral Instincts 1:58:14 The Top Reasons Epigenetic Inheritance So Controversial 2:04:50 Does Environment During Pregnancy Shape a Child’s Genes? 2:10:11 How Much of Motherhood is Just Luck? 2:13:46 Kathryn’s Ethical Stance on Embryo Selection 2:29:37 Can Embryo Selection Prevent a Crumbling Genome? 2:36:45 Is It Fair to Suppress Genetic Behaviour in Men? 2:49:25 Is Looksmaxxing Damaging Our Genetics? 2:59:55 Where to Find Kathryn - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden, The Controversial Truth About Genetics Nobody Wants to Admit - Dr Kathryn Paige Harden explores genetics, deviance, and blame: rethinking punishment, responsibility, and forgiveness today Harden recounts the controversy around her prior work on behavioral genetics and why genetics discussions often provoke moral panic, misrepresentation, and “genetic essentialism.” She explains findings from large-scale studies (millions of genomes) on shared genetic influences across “disinhibition” traits like ADHD symptoms, early sexual behavior, substance use, and self-reported risk-taking, emphasizing that effects are polygenic and probabilistic.

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