#282 – David Buss: Sex, Dating, Relationships, and Sex Differences

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May 4, 2022

David Buss, an evolutionary psychologist at UT Austin and a pioneer in evolutionary psychology, discusses the complexities of human relationships and mating strategies. He dives into the biological influences on attraction, jealousy, and infidelity. Buss examines how gender dynamics shape societal behavior and the myriad motivations behind female sexuality. The conversation also touches on toxic relationships, arranged marriages, and the psychological profiles of individuals affected by societal pressures, blending humor with profound insights into human nature.

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INSIGHT

Importance of Resources

Women value a man's ability and willingness to provide resources.
Historically, this translated to hunting skills; in modern times, it's linked to wealth and status.

INSIGHT

Psychological Sex Differences

Universal psychological sex differences exist, particularly in mating and sexuality.
These differences, like men prioritizing appearance and women prioritizing resources, manifest across cultures.

ANECDOTE

Traffic and Human Nature

Lex Fridman observes that cars and traffic reveal the "worst" in human nature.
He suggests that exploding emotionally in traffic indicates deeper issues to confront.

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David Buss is an evolutionary psychologist at UT Austin. He is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology. His current research is on sex differences in mate selection, mate attraction, infidelity, and the emotions of jealousy, lust, and love. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
David’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/profdavidbuss
David’s Website: https://labs.la.utexas.edu/buss/
When Men Behave Badly (book): https://amzn.to/3y3bRVM
The Evolution of Desire (book): https://amzn.to/3kyBdTt
Evolutionary Psychology (textbook): https://amzn.to/3LExU9e
Derogation of Competitors (research paper): https://bit.ly/38G4LMa

PODCAST INFO:
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SUPPORT & CONNECT:
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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:04) – Sex vs Violence
(14:48) – Mating strategies
(26:44) – Social construct of beauty
(30:38) – Evolution of mating evaluation
(34:40) – Mating selection desires
(39:52) – Difficulties of monogamy
(46:16) – Importance of male appearance
(48:52) – Importance of wealth
(52:08) – Penis and breasts
(55:59) – Fashion
(58:58) – Body objectification
(1:06:33) – Wear sunscreen
(1:13:29) – Gender
(1:30:39) – What motivates humans
(1:32:29) – Dominance and submissiveness
(1:40:33) – Johnny Depp defamation trial
(1:50:24) – Jealousy
(1:58:45) – Mate poaching
(2:02:58) – Polyamory
(2:14:13) – Female vs Male sexuality
(2:23:11) – Pornography
(2:29:46) – Sex and Violence continued
(2:38:55) – Cancel culture
(2:50:38) – Elon Musk and Twitter
(2:59:02) – Serial killers
(3:04:55) – Advice for young people
(3:16:57) – Love
(3:22:57) – Mortality
(3:27:40) – Meaning of life