Today we have David Buss on the podcast. David is a professor of psychology at University of Texas, Austin, and is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology. His primary research focus is on strategies of human mating, particularly the dark side of human mating nature, including conflict between the sexes, jealousy, stalking, intimate partner violence, and murder. David is author of a number of books on mating, including The Evolution of Desire and most recently, Why Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault.
Topics
- What is “mating”?
- Why David became interested in evolutionary psychology
- David’s response to critics of evolutionary psychology
- David and Scott discuss the replication crisis
- How evolutionary psychology research can combat gender violence
- What gave rise to the #MeToo movement?
- “The bad boy paradox”
- How dark triad traits manifest in women
- David’s thoughts on the “pickup artist” community
- David and Scott discuss the “light triad” and positive evolutionary psychology
I found this to be a very eye opening episode into the field of Evolutionary Psychology which I myself have been guilty of too quickly dismissing based on internal biases. Particularly, the last discussion regarding the light triad and the perspectives embodied in those individuals (kantianism, humanism and faith in humanity) I had previously thought (based on my own experience only) that experiencing suffering was the most likely cause of the adaptation of benevolent behaviour rather than specifically relating to the three proposed worldviews mentioned. I always enjoy the podcast but I love it when it challenges my own perspectives and thought processes (happens every episode). Keep up the great work Psychology Podcast Team 🙂