Brain Size Determines Psychology
Today Dr. Josh Stout discusses how our psychological evolution is necessitated by our physiological evolution; big brains = big emotions
Mar 02, 2025•31 min•Season 4Ep. 12
mindbodyevolution
An in depth look at the coevolution of our diet, exercise, consciousness, culture and physiology.
Episodes
Stories from the Underground Railroad
Through family stories and historical records, Dr. Josh Stout discusses how abolitionists orchestrated the daring rescue of Jane Johnson and others, as confrontations between state and federal authorities eerily mirror today's developing constitutional battles.
Feb 15, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 11
ADHD As a Superpower
Low dopamine causes ADHD which is a disability but also a super power. Constantly seeking new stimulation can drive research and innovation, but what happens when a whole society is addicted to dopamine stimulation and we have no attention left to give?
Jan 31, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 10
A New Dopamine Model Explaining ADHD
Dopamine mediated desire and reward explains why when dopamine is reduced we increasingly show ADHD symptoms. We combine low motivation with frantic reward seeking due to low dopamine.
Jan 29, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Sumer and the Birth of Religion
The Sumerians were ancient when the pyramids were built. Their religion and culture shaped ours, yet they were forgotten for 3,000 years.
Jan 14, 2025•28 min•Season 4Ep. 8
True Crime, Archaeology, and Art
There is a hill around the Tigris or Euphrates that has bulldozers digging into a lost civilization from the period of Sumer. From the very earliest civilizations on Earth, they are destroying their own heritage right now and selling it to me.
Jan 14, 2025•21 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Syria and the Cycle of History
Ibn Khaldun wrote in the 14th century and spoke about the spiral nature of history. He saw the Mongol invasion do the exact same thing the contemporary rebels just did - move through the same cities in the same order because that's the only way to get to Damascus. And it happened very quickly.
Jan 14, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Balancing Selection and Our 50/50 Nation
How Balancing Selection keeps our two party system in unstable equilibrium to the benefit of the ultra wealthy 1 percent.
Nov 19, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Memes and Anti Memes
In this episode Dr. Josh Stout discusses theories on why we are experiencing a decline in concentration and memory, and why daily life feels so disconnected from reality. Truth vs “truth” is destroying our minds.
Oct 25, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Neurobiology and Narcissism
Did that person intend to bump into me? Or were they just daydreaming? Today Dr. Josh Stout discusses the difference between narcissistic and non neurotypical behavior and how media, society and our very culture misses the point.
Oct 21, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 3
AI In The Classroom Revisited
Students might not be doomed by AI. I see them becoming “prompt engineers”, structuring their writing with detailed instructions for the AI. Students are now using a multi-step writing process that produces well thought through essays even when fluency is difficult.
Sep 10, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Out of Africa or From Africa
How climate change, genetic bottlenecks, and migration work together to make the Nile the tree of life for our African species.
Sep 03, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Throwing Makes Us Human
The Hand Axe was humanity's technology for more than two million years. Today Dr. Josh Stout discusses what these objects were and why they were so important to our survival and evolution.
Jun 14, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 8
The Non-Science of Individuals
Science can only look at groups - but only individuals exist. Today Dr. Josh stout discusses how we can see the individuals, and why this is vitally important for climate, ecology, biodiversity, medicine, and in our own daily life.
Jun 09, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Treating the American Lifestyle
For the majority of us, the American lifestyle causes physical problems that need medical treatment. Dr. Josh Stout explains how statins and Metformin are used and how to minimize side effects.
Jun 05, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Neuroscience of Meditation
Dr. Josh Stout's personal research on meditation, what science knows and what it doesn't, the mind-body connection and how we can manipulate it, and how and why a meditation practice can reduce stress and improve imagination.
May 21, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Osteoporosis
In today's episode of the mindbodyevolution podcast, Dr. Josh Stout discusses how to maximize bone density early and maintain it throughout life.
May 15, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 4
The Science of Seeing
Today Dr. Josh Stout discusses the difference between perception and seeing. What begins as a mechanical process turns philosophical as our brain constantly interprets everything we see.
May 07, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 3
God, The Devil and Consciousness
Dr. Josh Stout Discusses God, The Devil, Atheist Faith, the Universe, cosmology, spirituality, Truth, lies, race, religion, genetic similarity, music, math, spiritual experience, daimons, faith, and the eclipse.
May 02, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Evolutionary Diet
Dr. Stout provides an evolutionary explanation of why we want what is bad for us - and avoid what is good for us. Today's episode explores the co-evolution of our microbiome and our hunter-gatherer heritage.
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Encoding and Decoding
Today Dr. Josh Stout invites Jed Zion to speak with us about the implications of understanding writing as a technology and AI as in coevolution with humanity.
Mar 10, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Human Sex
In this episode Dr. Josh Stout discusses how human sex is unique in the animal kingdom.
Mar 09, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 11
A Mathematical Cosmology Model
Observable distances (OD) in the universe are bounded by the age of the universe cubed. Distance (D) = OD+(1/13.8bly-OD)^3
Mar 02, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 10
AI and Evolution
Coevolution of humans and our technology defines our species. Dr. Josh Stout discusses how the development of AI as a new tool could shape our cultural evolution.
Feb 25, 2024•22 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Teaching in the Age of AI
Dr. Josh Stout discusses how AI is changing student's work, but not in the way we expected.
Feb 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Alchemy, Newton and the Cosmological Principle
Dr. Josh Stout believes Google is wrong. The universe is 13.7 billion light-years in all directions. Every point is the center, AND every point is the edge. Any direction you look is back in time.
Feb 17, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Sugar and Our Evolutionary Health
Evolution wants us to do nothing more than eat potato chips and make babies. Our evolutionary history has encouraged us to convert starch into sugar, and sugar into fat, as fast as possible, to feed our giant brains.
Feb 09, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Demographics Revisited
Going beyond increased immigration and public daycare to solve the coming demographic collapse. Dr. Josh Stout discusses how new data from the IMF show how classist demographic models are no longer true. Rich and poor alike are having fewer babies.
Feb 03, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Spiritual Binaries and the Cultural Evolution of Gender Roles
Today Dr. Josh Stout discusses his theories on Spiritual Binaries and the Cultural Evolution of Gender Roles.
Jan 31, 2024•54 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The Barbie Movie and Primate Mating Systems
Today Dr. Josh Stout talks about male and female stereotypes without biological sex in the Barbie Movie and resource based mating patterns in the Great Apes.
Jan 25, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3