Episode
#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
53:59
Published: Mon Jul 08 2019
Description
Nicholas Christakis is a Professor at Yale University and an author. Much of what I've covered on the podcast has focussed on evolution's effects on the individual, but today we look at how evolution has shaped us as a collective. Expect to learn... Why is it that we live in groups? Why can we (mostly) rely on the person we're talking to to not lie to us, or kill us on sight? Why can we recognise different faces so effectively? And why do we even have different faces in the first place? Extra Stuff: Sign Up to Audible for a Free 30 Day Trial - https://amzn.to/2IQfiVS Buy Professor Christakis' Book - https://amzn.to/2Jac5iH Follow Professor Christakis on Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAChristakis Check out Professor Christakis' Lab - www.humannaturelab.net Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact
Chapters
The speaker believes that humans have been overly concerned with the negative aspects of our nature, such as violence and selfishness, and argues that focusing on the positive, such as love and kindness, is equally important.
00:00 - 09:13 (09:13)
Summary
The speaker believes that humans have been overly concerned with the negative aspects of our nature, such as violence and selfishness, and argues that focusing on the positive, such as love and kindness, is equally important. She also discusses how bias towards negative themes may influence academic and literary work.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
The idea of the future evolution of Earth's species is explored, with some postulating that mankind may create a rapidly-evolving amendment to the genome and thus an ascendant species, while others suggest it is dangerous to look at other animals' behavior through our narrow human lens.
09:13 - 17:29 (08:15)
Summary
The idea of the future evolution of Earth's species is explored, with some postulating that mankind may create a rapidly-evolving amendment to the genome and thus an ascendant species, while others suggest it is dangerous to look at other animals' behavior through our narrow human lens.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
Despite love being seen as dangerous before marriage in cultures with arranged marriages, attachment and desire for love is still present and measured as similar through psychometric scales in both arranged and non-arranged marriages, with evidence of the divorce rate being lower in arranged marriages.
17:30 - 24:08 (06:38)
Summary
Despite love being seen as dangerous before marriage in cultures with arranged marriages, attachment and desire for love is still present and measured as similar through psychometric scales in both arranged and non-arranged marriages, with evidence of the divorce rate being lower in arranged marriages.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
Humans naturally crave intimate friendships as a sense of security since being alone can be dangerous and risky.
24:10 - 29:26 (05:15)
Summary
Humans naturally crave intimate friendships as a sense of security since being alone can be dangerous and risky. This is why online interactions can make people miserable because our evolved psychology seeks real, face-to-face, and deep social relationships.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
The technological advancements that we enjoy today are a result of inherited knowledge that has been passed down through generations, from roads built by the Romans, to calculus invented by Newton, to inventions such as parkas and kayaks.
29:26 - 36:50 (07:24)
Summary
The technological advancements that we enjoy today are a result of inherited knowledge that has been passed down through generations, from roads built by the Romans, to calculus invented by Newton, to inventions such as parkas and kayaks. Humans inherited this broad knowledge, and ants also have a range of inherited knowledge.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
The airport network is a degree disassortative network, meaning unpopular people are connected to popular people and vice versa.
36:50 - 46:06 (09:15)
Summary
The airport network is a degree disassortative network, meaning unpopular people are connected to popular people and vice versa. This network can lead to a larger epidemic because the first infected person is likely to be connected to a highly connected, popular person who can easily spread the virus to others.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
This podcast discusses the evolution of social group sizes and how they've influenced human behavior.
46:06 - 52:28 (06:21)
Summary
This podcast discusses the evolution of social group sizes and how they've influenced human behavior. They also touch on how this evolution will affect the safety of autonomous vehicles on the road.
Episode#085 - Professor Nicholas Christakis - How Evolution Shaped Our Societies
PodcastModern Wisdom
Professor Chris Stakis discusses how technology will impact social interactions and the importance of considering it as a serious problem that will affect human society.
52:28 - 53:50 (01:21)
Summary
Professor Chris Stakis discusses how technology will impact social interactions and the importance of considering it as a serious problem that will affect human society.