Why Is Behavioural Genetics A Hated Science? - Dr Stuart Ritchie

Dr Stuart Ritchie is a psychologist and science communicator known for his research in human intelligence and an author. The influence of our genes on the outcomes we get in life has been long established and replicated in science. However the public response to this has been very unhappy, making Behavioural Genetics one of the most heated areas of research there is. Expect to learn why some people dislike behavioural genetics so much, what happened with the recent SSRI rug pull, whether Emotional Intelligence is an actual thing, how to be sceptical without becoming nihilistic, which psychological phenomenon were debunked during the replication crisis and much more... Sponsors: Get 83% discount & 3 months free from Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (use code MODERNWISDOM) Get 15% discount on Craftd London’s jewellery at https://bit.ly/cdwisdom (use code MW15) Get 15% discount on all VERSO’s products at https://ver.so/modernwisdom (use code: MW15) Extra Stuff: Buy Science Fictions - https://amzn.to/3y666Wl Follow Stuart on Twitter - https://twitter.com/stuartjritchie 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 #behaviouralgenetics #genes #psychology - 00:00 Intro 00:25 Why People Distrust Behavioural Genetics 11:10 Creating an Uneven Playing Field 19:35 Evidence of IQ Heritability 22:09 Impact of Replication Crisis on Behavioural Genetics 31:33 Is EQ Real? 38:48 Dying Psychological Concepts 45:39 The Placebo Effect in Psychology 51:54 Treating Depression with SSRIs 1:07:55 How to be Effectively Sceptical of Science 1:18:14 Where to Find Dr Ritchie - 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/

Stuart RitchieguestChris Williamsonhost

Oct 3, 20221h 18mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 3, 2022
Duration: 1h 18m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dr Stuart Ritchie is a psychologist and science communicator known for his research in human intelligence and an author. The influence of our genes on the outcomes we get in life has been long established and replicated in science. However the public response to this has been very unhappy, making Behavioural Genetics one of the most heated areas of research there is. Expect to learn why some people dislike behavioural genetics so much, what happened with the recent SSRI rug pull, whether Emotional Intelligence is an actual thing, how to be sceptical without becoming nihilistic, which psychological phenomenon were debunked during the replication crisis and much more... Sponsors: Get 83% discount & 3 months free from Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (use code MODERNWISDOM) Get 15% discount on Craftd London’s jewellery at https://bit.ly/cdwisdom (use code MW15) Get 15% discount on all VERSO’s products at https://ver.so/modernwisdom (use code: MW15) Extra Stuff: Buy Science Fictions - https://amzn.to/3y666Wl Follow Stuart on Twitter - https://twitter.com/stuartjritchie 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 #behaviouralgenetics #genes #psychology - 00:00 Intro 00:25 Why People Distrust Behavioural Genetics 11:10 Creating an Uneven Playing Field 19:35 Evidence of IQ Heritability 22:09 Impact of Replication Crisis on Behavioural Genetics 31:33 Is EQ Real? 38:48 Dying Psychological Concepts 45:39 The Placebo Effect in Psychology 51:54 Treating Depression with SSRIs 1:07:55 How to be Effectively Sceptical of Science 1:18:14 Where to Find Dr Ritchie - 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

Stuart Ritchie
guest
Chris Williamson
host
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Stuart Ritchie and Chris Williamson, Why Is Behavioural Genetics A Hated Science? - Dr Stuart Ritchie explores why Behavioral Genetics Alarms People: Politics, Fairness, And Bad Science Stuart Ritchie explains why behavioral genetics provokes hostility, arguing that people wrongly equate genetic influence with immutability and right‑wing politics, especially around traits like intelligence and education. He shows how genes and environments interact, using examples from post‑communist Estonia, eyesight and height, and school quality to illustrate that heritable traits are still malleable. Ritchie then details how behavioral genetics was an early casualty of the replication crisis—especially the complete collapse of ‘candidate gene’ studies—and how newer genome‑wide methods, while better, still face scientific and sampling challenges. The conversation broadens into how to interpret contested findings in psychology and medicine (mindsets, priming, antidepressants, ECT), and how the public can be properly skeptical of research without sliding into conspiracy thinking.

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