Episodes
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A discussion with Marta Kowal on beautification and what predicts it.
Marta Kowal (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher at the IDN Being Human Lab, Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Poland. Marta's academic background is in evolutionary psychology, and her research primarily focuses on mate attraction, physical attractiveness-enhancing behaviors, and romantic love, particularly from a cross-cultural perspective. During her PhD program, under the guidance of her supervisor, Professor Piotr Sorokowski, Marta secured a grant from the Polish National Science Centre to explore beauty-enhancing behaviors across different cultures. Marta takes one of the leadership positions in an extensive international consortium of over 400 scientists from more than 100 countries passionately committed to facilitating large-scale cross-cultural research projects.
Marta's website: https://martakowal.com/If you want to listen to my audio course on human evolution, you can find it here: https://mackenmurphy.gumroad.com/l/humanevolution?layout=profile
If you want to donate to support Species, you can do so, here: https://donorbox.org/keep-species-free
If you want to keep up with my work, everything is here: https://linktr.ee/mackenmurphy
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
5:08 231 minutes daily on beauty?
10:38 The Benefits of Beauty
12:23 Beauty: Not (Just) a Social Construct
19:35 Collecting Big Data
23:34 Gender & Beautification
48:51 Age & Beautification
54:28 Social Media & Beautification
1:08:25 The Beautiful Beautify More
1:12:57 Wealth, Education, Politics & Beauty
1:24:32 Intrasexual Competition All The Way Down
1:28:44 The Pathogen Prevalence Hypothesis
1:36:57 Cultural and Individual Differences in Strategies
1:47:14 Conclusion
1:50:10 Outro
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A natural history of infidelity and a history of science on the topic. Listen and learn about the oldest known laws in history, fish that get pessismistic without their boyfriend, the costs of monogamy, the ovulatory shift hypothesis (and a conspiracy theory about it), the mate-switching vs. dual-mating debate, and so much more.
If you want to listen to my audio course on human evolution, you can find it here: https://mackenmurphy.gumroad.com/l/humanevolution?layout=profile
If you want to donate to support Species, you can do so, here: https://donorbox.org/keep-species-free
If you want to keep up with my work, everything is here: https://linktr.ee/mackenmurphy
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
12:38 Theme
13:42 The Costs of Monogamy
20:01 The Many Strategic Functions of Infidelity
27:16 The Primary Reason Men Cheat
29:21 Intro to The Dual Mating Strategy
32:02 Ovulatory Shifts in Mate Preferences
34:26 Intro to the Mate Switching Hypothesis
36:13 Initial Impressions
42:15 Testing Mate-Switching vs. Dual-Mating
46:35 Addressing Critiques
48:16 The Usual Caveats
50:26 The Manosphere Reaction
51:31 Rollo’s Conspiracy (lol)
55:01 Nature’s Curse, Nature’s Gift
58:15 Outro
Selected references (most key information is in, or referenced in, these texts): Murphy, M., Phillips, C. A., & Blake, K. R. (2024). Why women cheat: testing evolutionary hypotheses for female infidelity in a multinational sample. Evolution and Human Behavior, 45(5), 106595.
Buss, D. M., Goetz, C., Duntley, J. D., Asao, K., & Conroy-Beam, D. (2017). The mate switching hypothesis. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 143-149.
Gangestad, S. W., & Thornhill, R. (1998). Menstrual cycle variation in women's preferences for the scent of symmetrical men. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 265(1399), 927-933.
Gangestad, S. W., Thornhill, R., & Garver-Apgar, C. E. (2005). Adaptations to ovulation: Implications for sexual and social behavior. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(6), 312-316.
Also:
Finkelstein, J. J. (1968). The Laws of Ur-Nammu. Journal of cuneiform studies, 22(3-4), 66-82.
Hicks, T. V., & Leitenberg, H. (2001). Sexual fantasies about one's partner versus someone else: Gender differences in incidence and frequency. Journal of Sex Research, 38(1), 43-50.
Laubu, C., Louâpre, P., & Dechaume-Moncharmont, F. X. (2019). Pair-bonding influences affective state in a monogamous fish species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 286(1904), 20190760.
Scelza, B. A. (2011). Female choice and extra-pair paternity in a traditional human population. Biology Letters, 7(6), 889-891.
Scelza, B. A. (2013). Choosy but not chaste: Multiple mating in human females. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 22(5), 259-269.
Scelza, B. A. (2014). Jealousy in a small-scale, natural fertility population: The roles of paternity, investment and love in jealous response. Evolution and Human Behavior, 35(2), 103-108.
Stewart-Williams, S. “Nurture Alone Can’t Explain Male Aggression.” Nautilus. April 26, 2019. http://nautil.us/blog/nurture-alone-cant-explain-male-aggression
Yildiz, F. (1981). A tablet of codex Ur-Nammu from Sippar. Orientalia, 50(1), 87-97.
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Missing episodes?
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An audio essay on human nature, followed by an interview with primatologist Dr. Susan Cheyne. Susan is the co-director of the Borneo Nature Foundation International and the Borneo River Initiative for Nature Conservation and Communities, she is the Vice Chair of the IUCN Section on Small Apes, and she is also a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes; she has been studying gibbons for about 27 years. Our conversation is wide-ranging, but centers on gibbons. We discuss gibbon locomotion, life among gibbons, the nature and function of gibbon song, gibbon violence, monogamy, and infanticide (and lack thereof), and other subjects. Enjoy.
Dr. Cheyne's research: http://www.susancheyne.com
IUCN Section on Small Apes: https://gibbons.asia/
Timestamps:
0:00 Are humans naturally monogamous?
17:27 Introducing today's subject and guest
20:25 Gibbon overview (interview starts)
31:57 Why do humans have twins?
34:02 A day in the life of a gibbon
38:57 Studying gibbons
40:37 Forgotten apes
44:06 Monogamy
1:09:27 Violence
1:11:34 Singing
1:17:49 Intelligence
1:23:28 Conservation
Sources relevant to the introduction:
Stewart-Williams & Thomas | "The Ape That Thought It Was a Peacock" | 2013
Fisher | "The Anatomy of Love" | 2016
Ryan & Jethá | "Sex at Dawn" | 2010
Kramer | Pew Research | 2020
Marlowe | Behavioural Processes | 2000
Chapais | Evolutionary Anthropology | 2013
Schacht & Kramer | Sec Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology | 2019
Shankman | "The Mead–Freeman Controversy Continues" | 2018 (I'm not sure if this view is correct; once again, you can find academics on both sides of this.)
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A deep dive into the manosphere, with the scholar who knows it best, Louis Bachaud.
The manosphere is a constellation of 5 loosely affiliated communities, including pick-up artists (PUAs), men's rights activists (MRAs), "Men Going Their Own Way" (MGTOW), incels (the "Black Pill" communiy), and the "Red Pill" community. Louis details the history of the manosphere, describes the current factions and their differences, and guides us through their use and misuse of science, especially evolutionary psychology. The episode opens with a systematic critique of the manosphere, and the interview starts around 34 minutes in. Enjoy.
Recommended background, especially for critiques of the manosphere:
- Bachaud, L., & Johns, S. E. (2023). The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 5, e28.
For the size and direction of sex differences, see:
- Archer, J. (2019). The reality and evolutionary significance of human psychological sex differences. Biological Reviews, 94(4), 1381-1415.
- Stewart-Williams, S., Butler, C. A., & Thomas, A. G. (2017). Sexual history and present attractiveness: People want a mate with a bit of a past, but not too much. The Journal of Sex Research, 54(9), 1097-1105.
- Schmitt, D. P. (2005). Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: A 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating. Behavioral and Brain sciences, 28(2), 247-275.
- Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and brain sciences, 12(1), 1-14.
For extra-pair paternity:
- Wolf, M., Musch, J., Enczmann, J., & Fischer, J. (2012). Estimating the prevalence of nonpaternity in Germany. Human Nature, 23, 208-217.
- Anderson, K. (2006). How well does paternity confidence match actual paternity? Evidence from worldwide nonpaternity rates. Current anthropology, 47(3), 513-520.
- Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., Hughes, S., & Ashton, J. R. (2005). Measuring paternal discrepancy and its public health consequences. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 59(9), 749-754.
For age gaps:
- Conroy-Beam, D., & Buss, D. M. (2019). Why is age so important in human mating? Evolved age preferences and their influences on multiple mating behaviors. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 13(2), 127.
- Antfolk, J., Salo, B., Alanko, K., Bergen, E., Corander, J., Sandnabba, N. K., & Santtila, P. (2015). Women's and men's sexual preferences and activities with respect to the partner's age: Evidence for female choice. Evolution and Human Behavior, 36(1), 73-79.
- Buunk, B. P., Dijkstra, P., Kenrick, D. T., & Warntjes, A. (2001). Age preferences for mates as related to gender, own age, and involvement level. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22(4), 241-250.
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Today, we explore the befuddling (and surprisingly complex) mystery of the human beard. Our guide is Dr. Barnaby Dixson, a human behavioral ecologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast who uses interdisciplinary methods to investigate human mate preferences across cultures. His extensive work has bettered our understanding of a wide variety of physical traits; most relevant to today's discussion, he is one of the primary contributors to our understanding of beards. We discuss the evolution of facial masculinity and facial hair, and their role in attractiveness and intimidation across various contexts. You can learn more about Dixson, here: https://www.usc.edu.au/staff/dr-barnaby-dixson
Relevant sources are mostly in Dixson’s past publications: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=LE_ROqQAAAAJ&hl=en
But also, see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vbEZV65uWCcG3E3Qzk-DEuy2m3rodw07WIt3l6meMSo/edit?usp=sharing
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William Costello is an expert on incels, a rising star in the field of evolutionary psychology, and the latest protégé of Dr. David Buss. In this conversation, we discuss incel violence, demographics, mythology, perception vs. reality, and solutions to inceldom, among other things.
There's still time to participate in Costello's cross-sex mind-reading study, here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38KyEyGDOs4stN4
You can keep up with Costello on Twitter, @CostelloWilliam: https://twitter.com/CostelloWilliam?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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Alexander is a psychologist and science communicator. He is best known for his deep dives into the literature on human mating and his nuanced critiques of popular misconceptions about dating. In this data-driven discussion, he talks to Macken about what men and women actually want and what people generally get wrong about dating, before diving into a variety of topics including the Manosphere, the “mating crisis,” hypergamy, and bodycount, among others.
Alexander is @datepsych on Twitter, where he runs online studies and produces fascinating threads on mating. He also runs a popular blog, datepsychology.com, and is increasingly popular on YouTube, @alex.datepsych.
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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... a brand new episode of Species. Come listen and learn about their secret social lives, how to survive a shark attack, and some mind-blowing stats.
Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ayzr57teXk06LE21jN9LH934wXhOzIRW9KbKiBeCUVw/edit?usp=sharing
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I'm extremely busy and, unfortunately, pausing production on Species, at least for most of this month. If you sent me a donation in January and you want a refund, contact me through mackenmurphy.org, and I will be sure to send it back to you. My sincerest apologies.
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"DNA isn't all that matters, but it matters more than everything else put together."
—Dr. Robert Plomin
Blueprint: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262039161/blueprint/
Plomin is one of history's most important psychologists and a pioneer in the field of behavioral genetics. He is a research professor at King's College London, best known for his work on twins. In this podcast, Plomin explains how we know that genes impact our behavior, clarifies all the common confusions about the field, and pushes back against some of Macken's criticisms. Enjoy.
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TikTok @mackenmurphy: https://www.tiktok.com/@mackenmurphy
YouTube @murphymacken (I would buy the @mackenmurphy handle from you, if you have it): https://www.youtube.com/@murphymacken
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Nature's greatest shapeshifter, the mimic octopus is known for their spectacular impersonations of other species.
Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrxPPq4mAJpmmQTFIh51KzoHa1SZZv5C4dF-KyFB0ik/edit?usp=sharing
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Women compete vigorously over mates but do so more subtly than men. In this episode, Dr. Tania Reynolds teaches us how women use gossip to win mates. Additionally, we discuss friendship, thinness, and the evolution of homosexuality, among other subjects.
Tania Reynolds is an assistant professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of New Mexico. Her research examines how intrasexual competition and cooperation contribute to psychological and behavioral sex differences. She investigates how pressures for humans' ancestors to select advantageous social allies—and be selected in return—contribute to modern-day preferences, biases, and behaviors.
Connect with Dr. Reynolds on Twitter @TaniaArline, and keep up with her work using the links below:
Department webpage: https://psych.unm.edu/people/faculty/profile/tania-reynolds.html
Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tania-Reynolds
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This spider, Bagheera kiplingi, prefers a plant-based diet. Come learn about trees that pay ant security guards in gold, The Jungle Book, and an exceptional animal on this episode of Species.
Bibliography:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XSUztDqSZWt1IM_IA9JnkFVqRZ14pd6YHCPQlu2jz4E/edit?usp=sharing
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Not from Guinea, not a pig.
Upcoming live events...
10 AM on October 26th: https://www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/halftermfestival
2 PM on October 26th: https://www.moonlaneink.co.uk/moonlanestorytellingworkshops
2 PM on October 27th: https://www.moonlaneramsgate.com/
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Come learn about predator-prey communication, Bambi, and the most-hunted big game animal in America on this episode of Species.
Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l947u7nmpJ-6e4_wkQt29WH7Lki-8I_hZLDFBhOWZfg/edit?usp=sharing
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Find out how sock puppets aided the most insane conservation effort in history and learn everything about America's biggest bird.
Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SA3gYa9Xrq-sZxWkkqGWBbEbB1X0ZaaUGlFqLg-NN9w/edit?usp=sharing
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Infidelity is almost ubiquitous among the Himba, an indigenous group of pastoralists living in Namibia and Angola. In this episode, I speak with a human behavioral ecologist who can help us understand why.
UCLA's Professor Brooke Scelza (@bascelza) has studied reproductive decision-making in these people for about a decade. Her fascinating work has made progress towards understanding the rationale behind patterns of parental investment, fosterage, and infidelity. In this podcast, we focus on the last item on this list. Come learn about an interesting culture and view infidelity through a new lens on this episode of Species.
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An essay about birds, music, and evolution.
https://tenderly.medium.com/birds-are-musicians-24b3d2dc5eb2
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How come some Christians risk their lives to hold snakes? Why do snakes have forked tongues? Do snakes "see" heat? Listen and learn the answers to all these questions and more!
Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14zL71mi0U2QGOdivbE_-ZomBBXVXDOKXc49R0yGR0UA/edit?usp=sharing
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