Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)

Health and the Shuar Project with Josh Snodgrass

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 complicated! More about Josh Snodgrass: https://www.pinniped.net/snodgrass.html [https://www.pinniped.net/snodgrass.html] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EADPtvQAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EADPtvQAAAAJ&hl=en] https://cas.uoregon.edu/directory/profiles/all/jjosh [https://cas.uoregon.edu/directory/profiles/all/jjosh]

Cooperation in the field with Kris Smith

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 mobility, the difficulties of abstract measures across cultures, and how not to avoid mosquitos in the field.    More about Kris Smith: https://anthro.wsu.edu/faculty/wsu-profile/kristopher.m.smith/ [https://anthro.wsu.edu/faculty/wsu-profile/kristopher.m.smith/] https://www.kristophermsmith.com/ [https://www.kristophermsmith.com/] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AXOcqSIAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AXOcqSIAAAAJ&hl=en]

Pathogens with Josh Ackerman

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 and are dealt with by this tiny microscopic critters.  More about Josh Ackerman: https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/joshack.html https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=w3nbv6UAAAAJ&hl=en

Design with Dave & David

We are all still recovering from the HBES conference in Morocco. So, in this half-length episode the David's discuss a listener comment about whether natural selection "designs" anything, and whether it is a mistake to talk and think in that way. We also hear from previous guest Greg Bryant in a mini-interview from HBES. Have a great week!

CES & HBES 2026 mini-episode

This week features a special mini-episode, fresh off the presses from our trip to the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) conference in Rabat, Morocco. We (briefly) talk with Bret Beheim (Max Planck Leipzig), Cristina Moya (UC Davis), and Brian Wood (UCLA). Also, this episode marks one year of the podcast!   More about Brian Wood: https://anthro.ucla.edu/person/brian-wood/ [https://anthro.ucla.edu/person/brian-wood/] http://brianwoodresearch.com/ [http://brianwoodresearch.com/] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oRH6SiEAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oRH6SiEAAAAJ&hl=en]