Nature & Nurture #23: Dr. Edward Hagen - Biological Anthropology, Evolutionary Medicine, & Leadership

Dr. Edward Hagen is a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Washington State University. In this episode we discuss the field of anthropology, evolutionary approaches to studying mental health and substance use, and the evolution of leadership.   

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW3g4ElSF3c&lc=UgzzkXB9wQ24E2OZYgx4AaABAg

Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:26 - What is anthropology? 4:51 - How Ed became interested in biological anthropology 7:15 - How anthropologists differ from historians 9:33 - Evolutionary approaches to human behavior 17:00 - Studying mental health through the lens of evolutionary psychology 25:12 - The "mismatch hypothesis" of depression  28:36 - Kin selection 31:51 - Evolutionary medicine and infectious disease 36:09 - The evolution of substance use 40:53 - The paradox of drug addiction 43:02 - Why adults like bitter flavors 44:43 - Why some animals deliberately consume toxins 52:04 - Just the right amount of toxin 54:45 - Evolving the enjoyment of drug use 1:00:20 - How humans discovered complex drugs 1:02:00 - The evolution of leadership