The Uncomfortable Science Of Sex Differences - Steve Stewart-Williams

Steve Stewart-Williams is an evolutionary psychologist, a professor, and an author. Why is it so difficult to talk about the differences between men and women today? It's important to recognize that men and women deserve equal respect and opportunity, but that does not mean they are exactly the same. There are differences between the sexes that can be meaningful, valuable, and even beautiful. So what are those differences, and why has discussing them become so polarising? Expect to learn why talking about sex differences is so controversial, what the actual definition of sex is, why there are challenges to the binary idea of sex, the largest sex differences between men and women, how sex differences reveal themselves via personality, the danger of denying and/or not respecting the differences in sex, and much more… - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 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 - 0:00 Why Sex Differences Are So Controversial 2:07 Why Sex Differences Matter 7:55 What Actually is Sex? 13:21 Biology vs Society: What Shapes Sex Differences? 19:50 How Much Do Parents Impact Sex Differences? 21:37 The Gender Equality Paradox 26:39 The Top Difference Between Men and Women 29:02 What is the Biggest Sex Differences in Sex? 39:44 Is Parental Investment Damaging? 42:18 Do Men Have Greater Reproductive Success? 50:14 The Hidden Motivations Behind Behaviour 54:34 Are Human Sex Differences Unique? 01:00:07 Is It All About Reproducing? 01:03:20 Why Women Prefer Reading Porn 01:11:44 Are Men and Women Compromising On Sex? 01:14:13 How Similar Are Male and Female Mate Preferences? 01:16:55 How Status and Wealth Shape Attraction 01:21:55 Would Women Sleep With Their Ideal Sperm Donor? 01:29:21 Why Are Women Attracted to Dangerous Men? 01:37:34 Is Height Really That Important? 01:40:25 Do Men Actually Talk More Than Women? 01:46:54 Why Do Men Choose to Be Sexually Violent? 01:52:11 Are Women Naturally More Nurturing? 01:58:59 Who Gets More Jealous in Relationships? 02:03:30 The Biggest Personality Differences Between Men and Women 02:13:25 Are Cognitive Sex Differences Real? 02:16:55 Why Women Outlive Men 02:23:34 Why Mental Health Differs Between the Sexes 02:26:21 What Happens When We Deny Sex Differences? 02:29:53 The Cost of Exaggerating Sex Differences 02:32:33 Where to Find Steve - 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 WilliamsonhostSteve Stewart-Williamsguest

Jul 6, 20262h 33mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: July 6, 2026
Duration: 2h 33m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Steve Stewart-Williams is an evolutionary psychologist, a professor, and an author. Why is it so difficult to talk about the differences between men and women today? It's important to recognize that men and women deserve equal respect and opportunity, but that does not mean they are exactly the same. There are differences between the sexes that can be meaningful, valuable, and even beautiful. So what are those differences, and why has discussing them become so polarising? Expect to learn why talking about sex differences is so controversial, what the actual definition of sex is, why there are challenges to the binary idea of sex, the largest sex differences between men and women, how sex differences reveal themselves via personality, the danger of denying and/or not respecting the differences in sex, and much more… - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 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 - 0:00 Why Sex Differences Are So Controversial 2:07 Why Sex Differences Matter 7:55 What Actually is Sex? 13:21 Biology vs Society: What Shapes Sex Differences? 19:50 How Much Do Parents Impact Sex Differences? 21:37 The Gender Equality Paradox 26:39 The Top Difference Between Men and Women 29:02 What is the Biggest Sex Differences in Sex? 39:44 Is Parental Investment Damaging? 42:18 Do Men Have Greater Reproductive Success? 50:14 The Hidden Motivations Behind Behaviour 54:34 Are Human Sex Differences Unique? 01:00:07 Is It All About Reproducing? 01:03:20 Why Women Prefer Reading Porn 01:11:44 Are Men and Women Compromising On Sex? 01:14:13 How Similar Are Male and Female Mate Preferences? 01:16:55 How Status and Wealth Shape Attraction 01:21:55 Would Women Sleep With Their Ideal Sperm Donor? 01:29:21 Why Are Women Attracted to Dangerous Men? 01:37:34 Is Height Really That Important? 01:40:25 Do Men Actually Talk More Than Women? 01:46:54 Why Do Men Choose to Be Sexually Violent? 01:52:11 Are Women Naturally More Nurturing? 01:58:59 Who Gets More Jealous in Relationships? 02:03:30 The Biggest Personality Differences Between Men and Women 02:13:25 Are Cognitive Sex Differences Real? 02:16:55 Why Women Outlive Men 02:23:34 Why Mental Health Differs Between the Sexes 02:26:21 What Happens When We Deny Sex Differences? 02:29:53 The Cost of Exaggerating Sex Differences 02:32:33 Where to Find Steve - 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
Host of the Modern Wisdom podcast.
Steve Stewart-Williams
guest
Evolutionary psychologist and author of “A Billion Years of Sex Differences.”

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Steve Stewart-Williams, The Uncomfortable Science Of Sex Differences - Steve Stewart-Williams explores evolutionary science explains sex differences without justifying inequality or prejudice Sex differences are controversial largely because of science’s sexist history and fears that “evolved” explanations will be used to justify discrimination, even though most psychological differences are modest with large overlap.

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