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The Evolutionary Psychology Of Love - Robin Dunbar

Robin Dunbar is an anthropologist, evolutionary psychologist, head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Oxford and an author. Love is something that people have been trying to describe for thousands of years. Beyond asking what love is, is the question of why humans feel something so strange in the first place. Why would evolution have exposed us to this extreme sensation with huge potential for catastrophe and pain? Expect to learn how love is adaptive, why humans need to have more sex than almost all other animals to get pregnant, why ancestral men who hunted big animals were only doing it to get laid, how the length of your fingers can tell you how promiscuous you are, whether Robin thinks humans were ancestrally monogamous and much more... Sponsors: Get over 37% discount on all products site-wide from MyProtein at https://bit.ly/proteinwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM) Get £150 discount on Eight Sleep products at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get the Whoop 4.0 for free and get your first month for free at http://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Buy The Science Of Love - https://amzn.to/3wyJsW6 Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #dating #relationships #psychology - 00:00 Intro 01:01 Defining Love 07:59 Were Humans Always Monogamous? 13:12 Telling Dating Preferences by Finger Length 19:08 How Love is Adaptive 25:38 Love in Arranged Marriages 36:18 Female Primates During Maternity 48:00 The Show-off Hypothesis 52:17 What is Commitment? 1:06:08 The Use of Human Kissing 1:16:01 Optimal Rubbing Speed 1:24:01 Why We Love People After They Die 1:31:33 Men’s Vasopressin Reactors 1:35:49 Where to Find Robin - Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - 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/

Robin DunbarguestChris Williamsonhost
Sep 1, 20221h 36mWatch on YouTube ↗

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
September 1, 2022
Duration
1h 36m
Channel
Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Robin Dunbar is an anthropologist, evolutionary psychologist, head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Oxford and an author. Love is something that people have been trying to describe for thousands of years. Beyond asking what love is, is the question of why humans feel something so strange in the first place. Why would evolution have exposed us to this extreme sensation with huge potential for catastrophe and pain? Expect to learn how love is adaptive, why humans need to have more sex than almost all other animals to get pregnant, why ancestral men who hunted big animals were only doing it to get laid, how the length of your fingers can tell you how promiscuous you are, whether Robin thinks humans were ancestrally monogamous and much more... Sponsors: Get over 37% discount on all products site-wide from MyProtein at https://bit.ly/proteinwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM) Get £150 discount on Eight Sleep products at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get the Whoop 4.0 for free and get your first month for free at http://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Buy The Science Of Love - https://amzn.to/3wyJsW6 Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #dating #relationships #psychology - 00:00 Intro 01:01 Defining Love 07:59 Were Humans Always Monogamous? 13:12 Telling Dating Preferences by Finger Length 19:08 How Love is Adaptive 25:38 Love in Arranged Marriages 36:18 Female Primates During Maternity 48:00 The Show-off Hypothesis 52:17 What is Commitment? 1:06:08 The Use of Human Kissing 1:16:01 Optimal Rubbing Speed 1:24:01 Why We Love People After They Die 1:31:33 Men’s Vasopressin Reactors 1:35:49 Where to Find Robin - Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - 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

  • Robin Dunbar

    guest
  • Chris Williamson

    host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Robin Dunbar and Chris Williamson, The Evolutionary Psychology Of Love - Robin Dunbar explores why Humans Fall In Love: Evolution, Monogamy, Sex And Smell Chris Williamson and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar explore what love is from a biological and evolutionary perspective, why humans form intense pair bonds, and how this sits alongside our ancestral tendencies toward polygamy. Dunbar explains evidence from anatomy (like finger length ratios), hormones and fertility to infer mating systems in humans and other mammals. They discuss why romantic love may function as a 'hired gun' protection system for women, how social stress affects female fertility, and why big cooperative groups require special bonding mechanisms. The conversation also covers kissing and smell as immune-system assessments, non-reproductive sex as pair-bond reinforcement, and sex differences in friendship and attachment.

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