Beat Your Genes Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Howk and Dr. Lisle analyze the 2020 US Presidential Election between President Trump and former VP Joe Biden.

In this reply of episode 195, Dr. Lisle & Dr. Howk discuss: On today's show, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk will answer the following questions: 1. Imagine a 20-year-old male. Every day, he plays video games, eats Twinkies, drinks Mountain Dew, binge watches Netflix, mindlessly scrolls through Social Media, and watches . What are the long-term and short-term effects of all this supernormal stimuli? 2.I feel like I'm stuck in a diet mindset where my internal audience won't recognize any of my efforts unless I'm 100% compliant all of the time. Considering all the crap other people eat, I feel like I should be able to have one meal a week that's not 100% wfpb and still be fine and not feel all this guilt? 3. I understand your view on how to handle questions about "why do eat that way" etc however i am wondering about what to say when people say things like "Oh i really need to do something about my weight so i have just started eating low carb high fat". Or " i have diabetes so i can't eat pasta or potatoes." Lately my respone has been to smile and say nothing however i am left feeling frustrated that there is so much that i could contribute to the conversation but i just hold back. What is the best approach when people say or do things that either simple wrong or not the best solution, particularily when you care about the person and want to be helpful? 4. I am impressed with the data behind a whole foods plant based diet but felt this wasn't something I could stick with long term. I've read in the pleasure trap strategies for telling others to buzz off, but still didn't like the social implications of being a young male vegan. Long term concerns for being on this diet? Would you recommend it for anyone?

1.My husband and I are in our late 20s, no children, married less than 3 years. 6 months after our wedding, I became whole food plant based and an ethical vegan. I was already pretty healthy prior, but still lost 10 pounds and reversed some health conditions. My husband has a lot of health issues. He hasn't physically changed much since our wedding and has always had these health problems, but I looked past them because I love everything else about my husband. He's seen all the vegan documentaries and completely believes the science, but has no interest in eating healthier, being more active, or stop eating fast food daily. I love my husband and he supports my lifestyle, but I no longer find him attractive. I believe it's because I know that if he drastically changed his diet, he could reverse many of his health problems that turn me off. I know it's natural for couples to lose attraction towards each other over time, but what do you do when you're repulsed by your spouse? 2.I'm a single mother of a girl that is intelligent and highly emotional. Much like her biological father I see genetic resemblance of undersirable traits. I've recently been dating a man which I feel a strong connection with. He is a single father and has a very emotionally stable, agreeable 15 year old daughter. My new partner seems blown away by my daughters highs and lows and I feel blamed for her behavior on my lack of my discipline. I feel like her behavior has to do with her genetics but is that a cop out for possibly a lack of discipline? How do I explain to this mid to low openness mate I've found that knows nothing of EP that she is who she is and we are along for the ride if he can bare it. 3.Do the 5 traits have to do more with how we feel or how we act? So if someone often thinks that people are no good bastards and hates most of them but acts nicely most of the time, that makes them high A person?

In today's replay of Episode 192 we have the following questions: 1. What are Dr. Lisle's thoughts on group therapy? What is the purpose if there is one and how would he apply evolutionary principles and esteem dynamics to group therapy? 2. My MIL treats her 4 granddaughters quite differently. I am a disagreeable person who really values fairness. It's hard not to comment or approach her when she treats them so different. Let's not even begin to get into how many more clothes and toys (resources overall) she gets for her daughter's girls. Is there a way for her to look at my daughter differently and allocate resources fairly? 3. Recently you described the Enlightenment Trap, which interested me greatly and I wondered if you believed there was some degree to which meditation practice was a means of beating the genetic disposition for egoistic drives for status enhancement. Robert Wright certainly seems to think so. I recognise that there are apparently many examples of pseudo- meditators displaying their practice conspicuously as a status / virtue-signalling attempt, but do you believe there are some devotees who genuinely manage to reduce egoistic drives? 4. I am a professional woman in my middle years and want to be less critical of people and other things.

In today's new episode, Dr. Lisle discusses the following questions: 1) I was deeply fascinated by the Drs' take on narcissism and finally realized my mother is a narcissist. Many of my "friends" are also narcissists or suffer from tendencies. Is there a correlation between being raised by a narcissist and seeking those same traits in friends/partners? And what advice would you share for dealing with these people, short of running for the door? 2) I finished How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World earlier this year. What an amazing book that has radically changed my outlook on things. Since then I have tried to be much more intentional about honestly presenting myself and honestly going after relationships I see as high value. I have to admit that I have gotten a lot of negative feedback from romantic opportunities and family since updating my thinking. Does truly embracing your self/freedom come with growing pains and time or is just that being yourself is just a more lonely experience? Does any of this have to do with these beliefs being less sexually attractive than more convention beliefs around family, marriage, governments etc?

In this replay of Episode 191, Dr. Howk and Dr. Lisle answer the following questions: 1. What is impostor syndrome? Can you change the perception of feeling like a fraud? 2. A dad's son climbs on a roof to look at his neighbor's nude sunbathing. Dad handles it, but mom is furious and thinks this is huge issue warranting psychiatric medications. 3. A listener's boyfriend ended up at a stripclub with coworkers. He denies he got a lapdance even though everyone else got one. Listener wants to know if she is the one insecure and if a more confident woman wouldn't mind this happening. And also if this is 'normal behavior' for men and so she should expect it from any future partners. 4. Does having more wealth increase the trait of openness? 5. What does the future hold for humans capable or not capable of thriving in the modern environment in the face of so many traps?

In this new episode, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk answer these q's: 1. Voicemail question: Are there some situations where you avoid using the down arrow technique like when the worst case scenario is actually going to happen or already present? 2. Imagine that you are magically made Emperor of K-12 Education in the US. Essentially, you have complete, authoritarian control over the education system and can expect 100% compliance on your vision and mandates. How would you design the education system, and how does the big 5 and evo psych affect your design? 3. I want to make sure I understand beating your genes. If people are told no, punished, held back, negative reinforcement over and over again it will affect the genes. Is this a true statement.

In this replay of episode 188, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk, discuss the following questions: 1. My niece and I have been debating whether it's safe for attractive young solo female travelers to couch surf. She believes that a careful reading of a host's couch surfing profile enables her to spot would-be predators. What are your thoughts on this Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk? 2. Can you talk about what resilience is with regard to personality/the big 5? Do you think that it is possible to help people develop resilience or grit? 3. I dated a guy for about 5 years who would never commit and cheated on me several times, though I did not learn of his indiscretions until after the relationship ended. I recently found out that he married one of the women who he cheated on me with after dating her for only a brief time. After our split was all said and done I definitely felt like I came out it with the better end of the deal, and I'm now in a relationship that has major *magic 10%* potential; so my question is: why am I so irritated about my loser ex's quickie marriage? 4. I contracted Herpes from a long term boyfriend who was cheating on me about 10 years ago. I find it so difficult to share this information with a new person. I am 50 years old and reasonably attractive but haven't been dating from shame regarding this condition. You're straight talk suggestions are so helpful on this podcast, I'm wondering if you can advise me on how to best frame this situation for myself, my status, and potential mates.

1. I have been a proponent of wholesome eating as the guarantee of good health and optimal weight. The approach has worked great for me, but I am still curious to know if eating high caloric density foods – but within strict daily caloric "budget" – is detrimental to one's health? I have no cravings or addictions of any sort, it is almost an "academic" question mostly concerning socially inflicted foods like BBQ, wine, cheese, etc. 2. My girlfriend often slips into baby talk — and it grates on my nerves, but I don't know how to stop it. Any suggestions? 3. I'm wondering, why we're having so many beautiful women in Russia, but much less of handsome men. Is there any explanation? 4.Plomin states that the heritablity of weight is 70%. Is this statistic a byproduct of our modern food environment and therefore an explanation of the obesity problem? How would the heritability of weight differ in a stone-age environment? How would it differ if we measured a cohort from Chef AJ's group? That word heritability, is also confusing. Please explain. 5. Whats up with corporate jargon, like "Could you action this item?", buzz words like "synergy", being told to "think outside the box", needlessly fancy job titles and the like. I realize it's bound to be several things: conferring status cheaply, trying to motivate by conveying positivity, obfuscating to avoid concrete promises and cover asses, trying to sound smart and adjusting language use to match the in-group. Am I mistaken or missing anything? Where does this jargon come from -is it perpetuated by business schools or the fanciest companies? Am I penalizing myself significantly if I don't go along with all this BS?

1. If it is true that we can't change people, why would evolution waste energy engineer feelings in us that make us feel incline to try to change others? If we can't change others, why do people come to believe they can or enter relationships with others on that premise? 2. My brother has always been very private about his relationship with his significant other, to the point that it makes our family uncomfortable. She was a foreign exchange student when they met, failed to meet requirements for her work visa this spring, and my brother finally told us they got married this past May to keep her in the states. He also expressed as recently as one year ago he is not even sure he likes her, but does enjoy her attention and having company. I guess my question here is twofold; is it worth expressing concern to him about this being that's it's done? It was a particularly hard blow to my parents, who are practicing Catholics, and I don't see how he could fail to see the hurt it would cause them. Second... from a gene standpoint, why did he do this? 3. I have a 15 year old son who did poorly in school after it moved online last spring - eventually he stopped doing any of his work and lied to my husband and I about it. He is returning to a hybrid model in a couple of weeks, and I am already dreading the acrimony that will follow. My husband is our son's stepfather with no biological children of his own. In the past, there has been conflict between my husband and I about how to handle this - I think my husband is draconian and he thinks I'm too relaxed. How much freedom is appropriate to give kids when it comes to schoolwork? What about lying? Is there any way to protect my relationships with both my husband and my son through this? And finally, why do some step-parents (like my husband) get so invested in kids that will not be carrying their genes forward?