Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life

Exploring the simple selfish biases that make us caring, creative, and complex

Douglas T. Kenrick Ph.D.

Bibliomania and the Meaning of Life

I just read 3 profound books back-to-back that gave me that youthful feeling of intellectual awe, the wonderful sense that all knowledge is connected.

What Did Our Ancestors Die Of?

Aren’t epidemic diseases something our ancestors confronted all the time, and shouldn’t we be equipped with adaptive psychological responses to pandemics?

Viruses and Pangolins and Bats, Oh My!

Besides being deadly, what do coronavirus, rabies, malaria, swine flu, SARS, Lyme disease, ebola, and the Black Plague have in common?

What Is Actually Likely to Kill You?

Regarding mortality threats, what should you be worrying about? If you’re under 50, your biggest threats don’t come from Covid-19, or from heart disease or cancer.

Are There Upsides if a Virus Goes Viral?

Classic research found a subset of people who respond to extreme stress not as threat but as an opportunity for growth. Can we find some silver linings in the current pandemic?

2019’s Best-Selling Novel Weaves in Evolutionary Psychology

How did a retired biologist weave evolutionary psychology and natural history into a novel, to create one of the longest-running best-sellers in modern literature?

Is Nothing Sacred? Religion and Sex

A provocative recent paper reviews several lines of research that make intriguing connections between our religious beliefs and our reproductive strategies.

What Drives Us More? Sex or Family Values?

We asked over 10,000 people in 27 different countries about the most important human motivation—and were surprised by the answer.

Men and Women Are Very (or Is It Slightly) Different

Research on "tend and befriend" versus "fight and flight" reactions illuminates some logical errors about the differences between men's and women's behaviors.

The Psychology of Bad Marketing

An otherwise persuasive appeal can totally backfire if you make it when your intended audience is in the wrong frame of mind. Research explores exactly how all that works.

Are Monster Algorithms Eating Your Brain?

Is something taking over your brain? A new podcast interviews experts on how we may be parasitized by our dogs and monster algorithms.

The Hourglass Figure Is Not a Sign of Fertility and Health

Many assume that men are attracted to women with low waist-to-hip ratios because it signals health and fertility. But research shows that that assumption is wrong.

Does Ovulation Change Women’s Sexual Desire, After All?

Does ovulation influence a woman’s desire? The question has inspired heated debate. Here's the simple answer, and some complex wrinkles.

Return of the Lost Evolutionary Psychology Interviews

A group of anthropologists, biologists, and psychologists forever changed how we think about human nature. In these missing interviews, they talk about their formative experiences

When Is It Good for You to Feel Miserable?

Evolutionary psychiatrist Randy Nesse offers a new way to understand our psychological ailments, from anxiety and depression to alcohol abuse and eating disorders.

Great Discoveries: Universals in Emotional Expression

Ekman and Friesen's finding of cross-cultural universals in emotional recognition overturned a major assumption of the Blank Slate model of human nature. Here's how.

Great Discoveries in Psychology: Mirror Neurons

Embodied cognition researcher Art Glenberg explains what the discovery of mirror neurons teaches us about human nature.

Who Blasts Minorities When Feeling Bad About Themselves?

Are Blacks or Whites more likely to blast Native Americans when their self-esteem is down? Jenessa Shapiro tested Gordon Allport's classic idea, and found a surprising result.

When Not Discriminating Is Discriminating

Would a man bearing a neutral expression look more or less threatening if he followed another man with an angry scowl? The answer depends on whether the man is Black or White.

How Does Social Media Parasitize Your Brain?

Like Ben & Jerry's ice cream, social media earns tremendous profits by parasitizing evolved mental mechanisms that were good for our ancestors but mismatched to the modern world.

How to Get into Grad School

The time to start applying to grad schools is fast approaching. Here are a few tips from people with whom I’d love to study.

Do You Dehumanize Members of Groups You Don’t Like?

If 17 Trump supporters were shot at a rally, would you feel the same as if it were 17 Obama supporters? Research suggests we devalue outgroup member's lives.

The Science of Antiscientific Thinking

Cohen, Neuberg, Cialdini, and I review research to help understand the rejection of scientific evidence. Here are a few takeaways.

What If Your Life Isn't Going So Well?

The other day, I posted a list of things I was happy about as I turned 70, but not everyone has it so good. Here are 7 things that could help.

10 Reasons I’m Happy to Be Turning 70

I just turned 70, and my younger self would be surprised to know it's not so bad. Here are some reasons I'm glad to be a septuagenarian.

3 Talks That Could Change Your Outlook on Life in 1 Hour

Daily news got you down? Take a few minutes to watch these 3 uplifting TED talks that might even change the way you look at life.

Ten Ways the World Is Getting Better

Poverty, disease, murder, racism, and environmental destruction, oh my! Despite daily news headlines, Steven Pinker argues all these bad things are getting progressively better.

The Influence Smugglers

Cialdini distinguishes between influence bunglers, smugglers and sleuths. Using Martin Luther King's voice in a Super Bowl truck ad seems like smuggling, but is it that bad?

Why Are Older Hollywood Actors Paired With Such Young Women?

Ever since Casablanca and Gone With the Wind, Hollywood has paired older men with much younger women. Is Hollywood culture to blame, or human nature?

Do Conservatives Have a Monopoly on Antiscientific Thinking?

In recent years, conservatives have rejected scientific consensus on global warming and evolution. But new psychological research asks: Are both sides selectively antiscientific?

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