Home Podcasts Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)
Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)

Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)

Dave Pietraszewski & David Pinsof 57 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

Actual evolutionary psychology by actual evolutionary psychologists. Hosted by Dave Pietraszewski and David Pinsof. Every week, Dave and David bring cutting-edge work in the evolutionary behavioral sciences to you.

Episodes

Ecology and Social Connections with Kathrine Starkweather
Ecology and Social Connections with Kathrine Starkweather Oct 13, 2026 5075 How do we remain resilient and flexible under difficult conditions? In this episode, we talk to Katie Starkweather (UCSB) about her work with the Shodagor, who spend appreciable amounts of life living on small boats in rural Bangladesh. Topics include: what is life like living on a small boat?, loneliness, social roles, division of labor, and how things like weather and ecology create and also put
The Extended, Cooperative Phenotype with Athena Aktipis
The Extended, Cooperative Phenotype with Athena Aktipis Oct 6, 2026 5277 They say that if you do what you love you never have to work a day in your life. In this episode, polymath Athena Aktipis (ASU) shares her enthusiasm and love for all things cooperative. Topics include music, Zombies, borderline personality, vibeing, alignment, cooperative energy, how not to build an institution, and how to capture the magic of musicians jamming together. We dare you to not feel i
Moral Progress with Hanno Sauer
Moral Progress with Hanno Sauer Sep 29, 2026 5967 Philosopher of Ethics and Politics Hanno Sauer (Utrecht) examines whether moral progress is all its cracked up to be. Topics include social class, being slightly more moral than others, rationalization costs, the relationship between intellectuals and power, and the tolerated scrounging of morality.  https://www.uu.nl/staff/HCSauer https://philpeople.org/profiles/hanno-sauer https://scholar.google
Magic, Shamanism, and the Scale of Cooperation with Manvir Singh
Magic, Shamanism, and the Scale of Cooperation with Manvir Singh Sep 22, 2026 5318 This week, we talk about ice-age megafauna, Shamansim, magic, and the scale of ancestral cooperation with Manvir Singh (UC Davis).  More about Manvir: https://www.manvir.org/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZHpmcFYAAAAJ&hl=en https://anthropology.ucdavis.edu/people/manvir-singh  
Politics with Antoine Marie
Politics with Antoine Marie Sep 15, 2026 5022 We're Back! This week, we (well, David) talks with Antoine Marie (Paris) about all things politics.    More about Antoine:  https://www.antoinemariesci.com/ https://www.sciencespo.fr/cevipof/en/directory/marie-antoine/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=immG3K4AAAAJ&hl=en
Summer Break!
Summer Break! Jul 14, 2026 49 We will be on a much-needed summer break for the next four weeks; returning on August 18th with a slew of fresh, new episodes. Thank you all for listening!
Stories with Michelle Sugiyama
Stories with Michelle Sugiyama Jul 7, 2026 5038 Sit back and relax as we tell you a story about....well....stories. In this episode, we talk with Michelle Sugiyama (U Oregon), who explores human nature through the lens of understanding how, when, and why we decide to tell each other stories. Other topics include the function of name labels, whether enjoying fiction is a byproduct or adaptation, history, propaganda, and how songs help us learn. 
Mechanism, Function, and Philsophy of Science with Lauren Ross
Mechanism, Function, and Philsophy of Science with Lauren Ross Jun 30, 2026 6752 What is a mechanism? Are claims about function doomed to fail? And why are explanations in psychology and human behavior so fraught and contested? We pose these and other mysteries to one the shining stars in modern philosophy of science, Lauren Ross (UC Irvine). Other topics include how philosophers are kind of like therapists, how modern philosophy of science thinks about grand explanations of e
Producing Belief with Pascal Boyer
Producing Belief with Pascal Boyer Jun 23, 2026 6656 Pascal Boyer (St. Louis) is one of the greats! We talk about his shifting thinking in terms of belief selection to belief production, and why this is a subversive idea. Other topics include birthdays, shamanism and magic, and why we should remain optimistic about the future of science.  More about Pascal Boyer: http://www.pascalboyer.net/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7OaZg10AAAAJ&
Health and the Shuar Project with Josh Snodgrass
Health and the Shuar Project with Josh Snodgrass Jun 16, 2026 5383 Is leaving a hunter horticultural lifestyle for a more westernized, market economy good or bad for one's health? And what does it take to run a field site? In this episode we talk to Josh Snodgrass (Oregon), one of the co-directors of the Shuar Project, and an expert on the consequences of transitioning from a more traditional to market subsistence on one's existence and health. Turns out: it's co
Cooperation in the field with Kris Smith
Cooperation in the field with Kris Smith Jun 9, 2026 5747 Do we choose how we choose others? Kris Smith gives us a tour of his fieldwork in across Tanzania, from the arid plains of Hadza Land to the shores of village fisheries, Kris explains what he's learned about understand partner choice, levels of cooperation, and how the local way of making a living. Kris also explains what mistakes new students often make in the field, the effects of social mobilit
Pathogens with Josh Ackerman
Pathogens with Josh Ackerman Jun 2, 2026 6443 How does our evolved psychology deal with pathogens? Can other people tell when you're sick? What's the relationship between worrying about sickness and your social network? Do you stay in or go out when you're sick? Love 'em or hate 'em, pathogens are a part of life and an extreme selection pressure, and our guest Josh Ackerman (UMichigan) gives us the in's and out's of how our minds deal with an

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