Here's an episode I recorded with Stephen Colarelli for This View of Life podcast. Stephen Colarelli is professor of psychology at Central Michigan University. His research explores how evolutionary theory can influence how we think about, conduct research on, and manage behaviour in organisations. Steve and I discuss the application of evolutionary psychology to Human …
Strategic Instincts, by Dominic Johnson
Among political scientists, it's widely believed that ‘cognitive biases’ (that is, quirks of the human mind) are not only detrimental, but responsible for some of history’s worst policy blunders. Whether it’s the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Chernobyl, or the Global Financial Crisis, it’s easy to think of colossal disasters that back this up. But is …
The Weirdest People in the World, by Joseph Henrich
Here's an ethical dilemma for you to mull over: You are riding in a car driven by a close friend. He hits a pedestrian. You know he was going at least 35 miles per hour in an area of the city where the maximum allowed speed is 20 miles per hour. There are no witnesses. …
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Managing the Human Animal, with Nigel Nicholson
Here’s a podcast episode I recorded with Nigel Nicholson, for the Evolution Institute. Nigel Nicholson and I discuss the application of evolutionary psychology to business and management. We cover Nigel Nicholson’s academic career, and his books Managing the Human Animal, Family Wars and The “I” of Leadership. We also explore the impacts of the pandemic on the world of work. We …
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How culture explains our weak response to the coronavirus
The sneakiness of the novel coronavirus virus has wreaked havoc worldwide. Although the coronavirus is a global pandemic, what's striking is how the pathogen’s destruction has varied across regions. Whilst East Asia has largely got a grip on the virus, Europe is still reeling. The United Kingdom recently pipped Italy to claim Europe's highest death …
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Evolutionary Organisational Psychology, with The Dissenter
Here’s a podcast episode I recorded with Ricardo Lopes, for The Dissenter. Ricardo and I explore the application of evolutionary psychology to the business world. We start by tackling the concept of evolutionary mismatch, and then go through some examples of how it applies to the modern workplace— such as Dunbar’s number, hierarchy and leadership, …
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‘Big Men’ in the office
It’s a well-established fact that size influences our choice of leaders. For example, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are disproportionately over 6 feet tall. Similarly, the height of presidential candidates can partially predict the outcome of an election. Since the start of the 20th century, over 70% of US elections between the two parties have …
Evolutionary Mismatch in the Workplace, with Mark van Vugt
Here’s a podcast episode I recorded with Mark van Vugt, for the This View of Life podcast. Mark van Vugt and I discuss his book Mismatch, coauthored with Ronald Giphart. We then delve into the science of evolutionary mismatches, and how this knowledge can help us understand human behaviour in modern settings, such as the workplace. We recorded this …
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The evolutionary logic of overconfidence
People in general are overconfident, excessively optimistic and think of themselves as superior to others. How can I say such a thing? Ask anyone with a license to rate their driving abilities, and most people will tell you that they are above average. However, this is not just an isolated case of cocky drivers. The …
The rise and fall of the dominant leader
Ranking people by their social status seems to come naturally to us humans. Indeed, social hierarchies are ubiquitous across cultures and throughout human history. Social hierarchies have allowed humans to coordinate effectively, and enabled large groups to make decisions and address collective action problems. Whether small-scale societies or industrialised nations, one can think of various …
Darwinian Business 