Modern WisdomFeb 7, 2022

#432 - Geoffrey Miller - An Evolutionary Psychologist's Dating Advice

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #432 - Geoffrey Miller - An Evolutionary Psychologist's Dating Advice on Modern Wisdom.

Guest: Geoffrey Miller

Notable books mentioned: The Ape Who Understood the Universe by Steve Stewart-Williams, The Mating Mind by Jeffrey Miller, The Evolution of Human Sexuality by Donald Symons, Spent

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Mentioned at 2:41

The Ape Who Understood the Universe

Steve Stewart-Williams

The host references 'The Ape Who Understood the Universe' to discuss the psychological effects of long-term relationships without children. They ex…

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Mentioned at 8:27

The Mating Mind

Jeffrey Miller

The host discusses the impact of evolutionary psychology on understanding sexual dynamics, referencing several influential works in the field. He h…

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Mentioned at 9:01

The Evolution of Human Sexuality

Donald Symons

The host discusses the impact of Donald Symons' book on the field of evolutionary psychology, particularly in understanding sexual dynamics. This m…

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#432 - Geoffrey Miller - An Evolutionary Psychologist's Dating Advice

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Episode summary, books & quotes

#432 - Geoffrey Miller - An Evolutionary Psychologist's Dating Advice mentions The Ape Who Understood the Universe by Steve Stewart-Williams, The Mating Mind by Jeffrey Miller, The Evolution of Human Sexuality by Donald Symons, and Spent with timestamps, quotes, and episode context.

The Ape Who Understood the Universe The Mating Mind The Evolution of Human Sexuality Spent

Guest: Geoffrey Miller

Episode summary

Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychologist, Associate Professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico and an author. Geoffrey has been writing about sexual selection and dating dynamics for over 30 years. His work has provided the foundation which much of the modern Red Pill, Pink Pill and Manosphere dating advice has been based on. I wanted to find out how much of this guidance is accurate and how much has been lost in translation. Expect to learn how evolutionary psychology can help marriages to be much happier, what Geoffrey thinks about the modern Manosphere, my hypothesis around the game theory of slut shaming, the fundamentals that everyone needs to know about how sexual selection works, how women can hack their own hypergamy, why me and Geoffrey are going to dedicate our lives to existential risk and much more...

Book mentions10

Media mentions0

Topic and sentiment signals

Aggregated from transcript-derived mention metadata for better topical navigation and citation.

Top triggers

evolutionary psychology and sexuality(2)evolutionary psychology insights(2)conspicuous consumption(1)evolutionary psychology and mating(1)existential risk awareness(1)existential risks awareness(1)high fashion and social proof(1)mating market mismatches(1)

Mention sentiment

Deep Dive(5)Highly Recommended(5)

Audience signals

Individuals interested in psychology and relationship dynamicsStudents and enthusiasts of evolutionary psychologystudents and scholars of psychology and evolutionary biologyIndividuals interested in economics and consumer behaviorIndividuals interested in sociology, marketing, and the fashion industry.married couples seeking relationship improvement

Books Mentioned

The Ape Who Understood the Universe

Steve Stewart-Williams

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and relationship dynamicsOften cited around mating market mismatches

“The book discusses the effect of couples who have been together for a while and choose not to have children, leading to a decrease in attraction.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: mating market mismatches

For: Individuals interested in psychology and relationship dynamics

Key quote: “I want to say maybe steve stewart williams book uh the ape who understood the universe about the effect of a couple who have been together for quite a while elected not to have children they chose not to but find each other becoming increasingly unattractive and can't really explain why.”

The host references 'The Ape Who Understood the Universe' to discuss the psychological effects of long-term relationships without children. They explore how ancestral cues about fertility might influence modern relationship dynamics, particularly when couples choose not to have children.

ASIN: B0D9CBKNJM

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The Mating Mind

Jeffrey Miller

Best for Students and enthusiasts of evolutionary psychologyOften cited around evolutionary psychology and sexuality

“The speaker mentions this book, which is 22 years old, in the context of applying evolutionary psychology to sexual dynamics.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: evolutionary psychology and sexuality

For: Students and enthusiasts of evolutionary psychology

Key quote: “'The mating mind book came out in the year 2000, five years later than I meant to publish it.'”

The host discusses the impact of evolutionary psychology on understanding sexual dynamics, referencing several influential works in the field. He highlights 'The Mating Mind' as a significant contribution to this discourse, emphasizing its relevance and the foundational ideas it builds upon.

ASIN: 038549517X

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The Evolution of Human Sexuality

Donald Symons

Best for students and scholars of psychology and evolutionary biologyOften cited around evolutionary psychology and sexuality

“This book had a big impact on the speaker's field of evolutionary psychology.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: evolutionary psychology and sexuality

For: students and scholars of psychology and evolutionary biology

Key quote: “the evolution of human sexuality 1979 and that had a big impact on my little field evolutionary psychology”

The host discusses the impact of Donald Symons' book on the field of evolutionary psychology, particularly in understanding sexual dynamics. This mention highlights the importance of foundational texts in shaping contemporary discussions around human sexuality and evolutionary behavior.

ASIN: 0195029070

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Spent

Best for Individuals interested in economics and consumer behaviorOften cited around conspicuous consumption

“The speaker mentions a book called 'Spent' from 2009 that discusses conspicuous consumption and how people signal their wealth through expensive goods.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: conspicuous consumption

For: Individuals interested in economics and consumer behavior

Key quote: “I did a whole book called spent um in 2009 that was about conspicuous consumption and there it's more often a matter of I'm going to buy and display some particular good or service that is objectively expensive in order to show off I can afford it.”

The host discusses the concept of signaling theory and its relation to consumer behavior, particularly how people use expensive goods to convey status. He references his book 'Spent' to illustrate how the credibility of these signals relies on their authenticity and the perception of others.

ASIN: 1592856993

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Ashley Mears

Best for Individuals interested in sociology, marketing, and the fashion industry.Often cited around high fashion and social proof

“Ashley Mears wrote an awesome book and was previously a top model in New York, later becoming a professor and conducting ethnographic research.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: high fashion and social proof

For: Individuals interested in sociology, marketing, and the fashion industry.

Key quote: “There was a lady, Ashley Mears. You familiar with her? Oh, she, she wrote an awesome book.”

The host mentions Ashley Mears to highlight her unique perspective on the dynamics of beauty and social status within the nightlife and fashion industries. Mears' ethnographic research provides insights into how women are often used as status symbols in social settings, which ties into broader themes of marketing and desirability.

ASIN: B089DMCDDV

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The Moral Animal

Robert Wright

Best for married couples seeking relationship improvementOften cited around evolutionary psychology insights

“You start to see things because one of the criticisms that I understand this, you know, I try and put this across when I'm talking about these dynamics is that I'm not trying to be dispassionate about this.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: evolutionary psychology insights

For: married couples seeking relationship improvement

Key quote: “you'd be much better to go back to like read the moral animal by robert wright rather than go to marital therapy”

The host emphasizes the importance of understanding evolutionary psychology to navigate modern relationships effectively. They suggest that reading 'The Moral Animal' can provide crucial insights into human nature that can enhance marital dynamics.

ASIN: B003VXI8DO

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The Apes That Understood the Universe

Steve Stewart Williams

Best for Students and individuals interested in evolutionary psychologyOften cited around evolutionary psychology insights

“Great book. I've actually used that as required textbook and some courses.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: evolutionary psychology insights

For: Students and individuals interested in evolutionary psychology

Key quote: “Great book. I've actually used that as required textbook and some courses.”

The host mentions 'The Apes That Understood the Universe' as a valuable resource for understanding evolutionary psychology and its implications on human behavior. They highlight its effectiveness as a textbook that covers a significant amount of psychological concepts in an accessible manner.

ASIN: B0D9CBKNJM

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Mate

Jeffrey Miller and Tucker Max

Best for Anyone interested in evolutionary psychology and human sexualityOften cited around evolutionary psychology and mating

“I took a quote from mate and I put it in a newsletter the other day.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: evolutionary psychology and mating

For: Anyone interested in evolutionary psychology and human sexuality

Key quote: “'Bob Wright's was a book that I read a lot of and I was was in that it's fucking phenomenal man.'”

The host mentions the book 'Mate' in the context of discussing the evolution of human sexuality and its impact on sexual dynamics. They highlight the importance of this book as foundational in the field of evolutionary psychology.

ASIN: B0141QTXVA

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The Precipice

Toby Ord

Best for Individuals interested in existential risks and effective altruism.Often cited around existential risks awareness

“The book 'The Precipice' really drove home the importance of existential risks, leading to an existential crisis about how to prioritize these issues.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: existential risks awareness

For: Individuals interested in existential risks and effective altruism.

Key quote: “Like everybody watching this should go read Toby Ord's The Precipice.”

The host mentions 'The Precipice' as a pivotal book that deepened their understanding of existential risks. They express a strong belief that everyone should prioritize awareness and action regarding these critical issues after reading it.

ASIN: 031648492X

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The Doomsday Machine

Daniel Ellsberg

Best for Individuals interested in existential risks and public policyOften cited around existential risk awareness

“The book discusses the risk of nuclear war throughout the 20th century and is recommended for reading alongside 'The Precipice'.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: existential risk awareness

For: Individuals interested in existential risks and public policy

Key quote: “They should also read Daniel Ellsberg spoke the doomsday machine about the risk of nuclear war throughout the 20th century.”

The host emphasizes the importance of understanding existential risks and mentions 'The Doomsday Machine' as a crucial resource for grasping the dangers of nuclear war. This book is suggested as essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of humanity.

ASIN: B0065RUW6E

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