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, …
Continue reading Evolutionary Organisational Psychology, with The Dissenter
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 …
Continue reading Evolutionary Mismatch in the Workplace, with Mark van Vugt
A defining aspect of our species' success is our unusually high levels of cooperation. In particular, our ability to cooperate with others who are not related to us.The scale of cooperation among humans is rare in the animal kingdom, and is strongly at odds with our closest primate relatives. Presented with this puzzle, scientists are …
Continue reading Competition can encourage prosocial behaviour to spread
We modern humans live in a world surrounded by ever evolving technology. Whether it's the combustion engine or the modern computer, these technologies are ubiquitous and have radically altered the world we live in. What's no so obvious is how complex the technologies of traditional societies are too. Bow and arrows and clothing are just a …
Continue reading We don’t need to understand how technology works for it to evolve
Despite increasing public debate over the appropriateness of sex in advertising, sexual imagery and high status individuals continue to be used by marketers to sell products. However, answering why sexual imagery has proven so influential in advertising receives conflicting answers. Social constructionists argue that these consumer preferences are primarily shaped by people's experiences within particular …
Since the financial crash of 2008 the field of economics has been in a state crisis, where a paradox lies at the heart of the issue. On the one hand markets are remarkably rational and efficient, displaying allocation and foresight that prediction scientists are only beginning to fully grasp. Efficient markets are powerful, practical tools …
David Sloan Wilson, Mark van Vugt and I have just published a special edition of This View of Life magazine, exploring business from an evolutionary perspective. Here's our introduction to the series: This View of Life magazine helps to demonstrate the value of an evolutionary perspective for many areas of society, including healthcare, sustainability, and education. Surprisingly, a domain that has yet to …
Continue reading This View of Business: How Evolutionary Thinking Can Transform the Workplace
Almost 63 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Trump's victory defied experts' predictions, and shocked the world. How could a man widely dismissed as a joke, a conspiracy theorist and an impulsive narcissist with no political experience whatsoever, capture the world’s most powerful political position? Not only did Trump …
Continue reading The Appeal of the Primal Leader: Human Evolution and Donald Trump
Dean Karnazes started his professional running career relatively late in life. As a teenager, Dean had been a top runner at his school’s cross-country team. However, the joys and demands of modern life later took hold. Karnazes went to university, got married, and pursued a business career—quickly rising ranks in his sales job. But something …
Continue reading A Virtuous Sin: An Overview of ‘Take Pride’ by Jessica Tracy
One of the defining features of human psychology is our extraordinary prosociality. How can cooperation and prosocial behaviour be maintained, despite the immediate temptations to free-ride and deflect? In a paper published in the September edition of the journal Evolution & Human Behavior, organisational psychologists Allen Grabo and Mark van Vugt explore the origins and functions of charismatic leadership. Charismatic …
Continue reading Charismatic Leadership Through the Lens of Evolution
Darwinian Business 