THIS Is The Most DANGEROUS Man A Woman Can Meet… | The Cancelled Professor Dr Gad Saad

Summary

The transcript discusses the evolutionary perspective on human behavior, particularly focusing on the dangers and dynamics within romantic relationships. It highlights that a woman's most significant threat is often her partner, with infidelity being a primary trigger for violence. The conversation delves into the evolutionary reasons behind men's and women's tendencies towards sexual variety, challenging the notion of monogamy as the natural state. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these behaviors through an evolutionary lens without endorsing them, acknowledging the complexity of human desires and moral compass.

Takeaways

• 😣 The transcript discusses the concept that a woman's most dangerous individual is often an intimate partner, highlighting the risks associated with domestic violence and homicide.
• 🔍 The conversation delves into evolutionary reasons behind male behavior, suggesting that jealousy and violence can stem from a deep-seated instinct to ensure paternity and genetic legacy.
• 🧬 It's emphasized that human males have evolved to be invested in their offspring due to our species being biparental, which contrasts with the indifference shown by males in some other species.
• 👫 The discussion points out that both men and women have evolved desires for sexual variety, challenging the stereotype that only men seek multiple partners.
• 🌐 Cross-cultural studies are mentioned to support the idea that while men generally express a stronger desire for sexual variety, women also have an innate, though perhaps less pronounced, inclination towards it.
• 📉 The conversation notes that women are more likely to cheat when they are most fertile, potentially as a strategy to seek superior genetic traits for their offspring.
• 🚫 There's a mention of the 'sexy son hypothesis,' suggesting that women may be unconsciously driven to choose partners who could produce attractive sons.
• 🤔 The transcript touches on the complexity of human sexual behavior, indicating that it's influenced by a mix of evolutionary pressures and modern societal norms.
• 🌐 It's stated that while monogamy is common in human societies, it's not a universal norm and that other forms of relationships, such as polygamy, exist.
• 🤝 The discussion concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding evolutionary perspectives without endorsing certain behaviors, highlighting the need for a nuanced view of human nature.

Q & A

Who does the speaker consider the most dangerous individual a woman will ever meet?

The speaker suggests that the most dangerous person a woman will ever meet is her own husband or long-term partner, particularly in the context of suspected or realized infidelity.

What is the evolutionary reason behind the potential for violence or homicide in relationships?

The speaker explains that the potential for violence or homicide in relationships may have evolved because humans are a biparental species, and males have a vested interest in ensuring paternity certainty to protect their genetic interests.

Why do the speaker and the interviewee believe that evolutionary explanations are important in understanding human behavior?

Evolutionary explanations are important because they provide a scientific framework to understand why humans have certain behaviors, such as jealousy or the desire for sexual variety, without justifying or endorsing those behaviors.

What is the speaker's view on the justification of cheating in a relationship from an evolutionary perspective?

The speaker clarifies that while evolutionary science can explain why humans might have a desire to cheat, it does not justify such actions. Morality and self-control are also part of human evolution and are necessary to navigate the complexities of social behavior.

How does the speaker describe the spectrum of male friends in terms of fidelity?

The speaker describes three groups of male friends: those who are absolutely faithful, those who struggle with temptations, and those who cheat uncontrollably, highlighting the complexity and variability in human sexual behavior.

What evidence does the speaker provide to suggest that women also have a desire for sexual variety?

The speaker cites studies showing that women are more likely to cheat when they are maximally fertile and may be less likely to use contraception in such situations, suggesting a desire for sexual variety.

What is the 'sexy son hypothesis' mentioned in the script, and how does it relate to women's sexual behavior?

The 'sexy son hypothesis' suggests that women may be unconsciously attracted to men with good genetic stock, such as physical attractiveness, to produce offspring with desirable traits, even if they are in a committed relationship.

Why does the speaker say that monogamy is not natural from an evolutionary perspective?

The speaker argues that monogamy is not natural because it is not the predominant mating system across all human societies and cultures, and because both men and women have evolved desires for sexual variety.

What is the difference between polygamy and polygyny as explained in the script?

Polygamy refers to a mating system where one individual has multiple mates, which can be either polygyny (one man, multiple women) or polyandry (one woman, multiple men). The script notes that polygyny is more common, while polyandry is rare and typically occurs in specific ecological or cultural contexts.

How does the concept of inclusive fitness relate to the discussion of polyandry in the script?

Inclusive fitness is the idea that an individual can increase its genetic representation in future generations not only through its own offspring but also through the offspring of relatives. This concept helps explain why polyandry might evolve in certain societies, such as fraternal polyandry in Tibetan culture, where brothers share a wife.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Evolutionary Roots of Jealousy and Infidelity

The first paragraph delves into the concept of the most dangerous individual a woman may encounter, which is suggested to be her partner. It discusses the evolutionary reasons behind why men may react aggressively to perceived or real infidelity, rooted in the need to ensure paternity and genetic continuity. The conversation highlights that humans, particularly human fathers, are highly invested in their offspring compared to other mammals, leading to a strong evolutionary drive to prevent cuckoldry. The paragraph also touches on the importance of understanding these behaviors through the lens of evolutionary biology and psychology without justifying them morally.

05:01

🌿 The Spectrum of Male Infidelity and Its Evolutionary Context

The second paragraph explores the topic of monogamy from an evolutionary perspective, contrasting the faithfulness of some men with the infidelity of others. It suggests that the desire to stray is a common evolutionary trait in both men and women, although manifested differently. The discussion points out that women, too, have an evolved preference for sexual variety, particularly when they are most fertile, and may be more likely to cheat in such periods. The strategy behind such behavior is linked to seeking superior genetic traits for offspring. The conversation also addresses the societal and moral implications of these evolutionary tendencies, emphasizing the distinction between explanation and endorsement.

10:01

🌐 Monogamy vs. Polygamy: An Evolutionary and Cultural Analysis

The third paragraph continues the discussion on sexual behavior and relationships, challenging the notion that monogamy is natural. It presents monogamy as a cultural institution in about 85% of societies due to our biparental nature. The paragraph differentiates between polygamy, which simply means one-to-many relationships, and its two forms: polygyny (one man, multiple women) and polyandry (one woman, multiple men). It explains the rarity of polyandry from an evolutionary standpoint and provides an example of fraternal polyandry in Tibetan culture, where brothers may share a wife to ensure inclusive fitness. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to subscribe to the channel for more in-depth discussions on these topics.

Keywords

💡Evolutionary Behavioral Science

Evolutionary Behavioral Science is an interdisciplinary field that examines human behavior through the lens of evolutionary biology and psychology. It seeks to understand why humans act in certain ways by considering how these behaviors may have evolved to enhance survival and reproduction. In the video, this concept is central to explaining why certain behaviors, such as jealousy or infidelity, might have evolutionary roots, even though they are not morally justified in modern society.

💡Paternity Uncertainty

Paternity Uncertainty refers to the evolutionary concept that males cannot be as certain of their offspring as females, since they do not give birth to children. This concept is used in the video to explain why males may have evolved behaviors that are protective or even violent in response to perceived infidelity, as a way to ensure the investment in their genetic lineage. The video suggests that this uncertainty drives some of the most dangerous behaviors in human relationships.

💡Infidelity

Infidelity is the act of being unfaithful to one's partner in a committed relationship. It is a key theme in the video, where it is discussed as a potential trigger for extreme behaviors such as domestic violence or homicide. The video explores the evolutionary reasons behind why infidelity might provoke such strong reactions, linking it to the concept of paternity uncertainty and the importance of genetic lineage.

💡Biparental Species

A biparental species is one in which both parents contribute to the care of their offspring. Humans are described as a biparental species in the video, emphasizing the significant role that human fathers play in raising their children compared to many other mammals. This concept is used to explain the strong evolutionary drive for males to ensure that they are investing in their own genetic offspring, which can influence behaviors around mate guarding and infidelity.

💡Maternity Uncertainty

Maternity Uncertainty is the counterpart to paternity uncertainty and refers to the fact that, unlike males, females can be certain that they are the biological mother of their child because they give birth to them. This concept is mentioned in the video to contrast with paternity uncertainty and to highlight the unique challenges and evolutionary pressures faced by males in ensuring genetic continuity.

💡Sexual Variety

Sexual Variety is the desire for multiple sexual partners, which is discussed in the video as an evolved trait in humans, particularly in males. The video suggests that both men and women have evolved some degree of desire for sexual variety, but to different extents, which can lead to behaviors such as cheating. This concept is used to explore the evolutionary underpinnings of monogamy and the pressures that might lead individuals to seek out additional partners.

💡Monogamy

Monogamy is the practice of having only one sexual partner at a time. In the video, monogamy is discussed as a cultural and social norm in many human societies, but not necessarily as a natural or universal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. The video explores the complexities of monogamy, including the evolutionary pressures that might lead individuals to seek monogamous relationships while also having innate desires for sexual variety.

💡Polygamy

Polygamy is the practice of having multiple spouses simultaneously. In the video, polygamy is differentiated from polygyny (one man, multiple women) and polyandry (one woman, multiple men). The video discusses the rarity of polyandry as an institutionalized practice and the evolutionary reasons behind the prevalence of polygyny, tying it back to the concepts of inclusive fitness and the desire for genetic diversity.

💡Inclusive Fitness

Inclusive Fitness is a concept in evolutionary biology that refers to an individual's reproductive success not only through their own offspring but also through the offspring of their relatives, to whom they are genetically related. The video uses the example of fraternal polyandry in Tibetan culture to illustrate how inclusive fitness can lead to the evolution of mating systems that might otherwise seem maladaptive.

💡Phenotypic Quality

Phenotypic Quality refers to the physical characteristics of an individual that may be desirable from an evolutionary perspective, such as height, strength, or other traits that signal good genes. In the video, it is suggested that women may be more likely to cheat with men of high phenotypic quality when they are most fertile, as a strategy to secure superior genetic traits for their offspring.

Highlights

The most dangerous person a woman will ever meet is often an intimate partner, with domestic violence or homicide often linked to suspected infidelity.

Human males have evolved to be protective of their genetic lineage due to the biparental nature of our species.

Paternity uncertainty is a significant evolutionary driver for male protective behaviors.

The conversation emphasizes that evolutionary explanations are not justifications for behavior.

Both men and women have evolved desires for sexual variety, though the degree may differ.

Women are more likely to cheat when they are maximally fertile, suggesting an evolutionary strategy.

Women may be less likely to use contraception when cheating if the goal is to secure superior genetic traits for offspring.

The 'sexy son hypothesis' suggests women may seek out mates with good genetic stock for short-term relationships.

Monogamy is common in human societies due to our biparental nature, but it is not the only form of relationship.

Polygamy (one to many relationships) can take the form of polygyny or polyandry, but the latter is rare for evolutionary reasons.

Inclusive fitness theory explains why some forms of polyandry, like Tibetan fraternal polyandry, can evolve.

The conversation highlights the complexity of human sexual behavior from an evolutionary perspective.

The discussion aims to provide a toolkit for understanding human behavior through the lens of evolution.

It's important to distinguish between evolutionary explanations and moral justifications of behavior.

The conversation touches on the challenges of navigating the tension between evolutionary drives and modern social norms.

The hosts emphasize the importance of understanding evolutionary science to make informed judgments about human behavior.

Transcripts

do you know Stephen who is by far the

most dangerous individual that a woman

will ever meet in her life whether it's

the yanoo tribe in the Amazon whether

it's the hatah tribe in central Africa

whether it's in ancient Greece 2,000

years ago or whether it's in Detroit

Michigan 2,000 years from now who is the

most dangerous person by far that you

will ever

meet

um let me think about this who's the

most dangerous person she

ever

meet by orders of magnitude more than

anybody else and the minute that I'll

say it you'll go oh no kidding but the

fact that you don't exactly demonstrates

my point and that's why evolution is so

important I think the most dangerous

person she will ever meet

is a

another you're already off okay I don't

know her husband I was going to

say there you go I was very close cuz my

brain went her my brain went her future

husband right because I was thinking in

the in the courtship process that's

quite dangerous so whether it be her

long-term partner or prospective

long-term partner right so to your point

a husband is the most dangerous and then

the overwhelming number one reason that

might drive him to domestic violence all

the way to homicide is suspected or

realized

infidelity okay I'm a true crime addict

and SE the stat is always in these True

Crime shows that about SE I think it's

70% of the time when a woman is goes

missing or murdered it's the husband

exactly something crazy like that

exactly now sometimes in those shows

it's because I want to get rid of my

current wife so I can run off with

another one yeah but notwithstanding

that potential effect usually when I go

into a homicidal rage it's because I I'm

concerned that either you have cheated

on me or you actually I I have proof

that you have cheated on me yeah so then

the question becomes why have human

males evolved the cognitive emotional

and behavioral repertoire to respond in

this way again you're not justifying it

you're not saying oh if I give you the

scientific explanation that means it's

okay to beat women but the reason is

because we are a biparental species

human dads are extraordinary dads in the

mamalian context we're by far one of the

most vested dads what now we don't

invest as much as human females but we

are really super dads so therefore your

ancestors and mind Stephen male

ancestors don't come from a line where

they said hey don't worry ladies have

have at it with the sexy Gardener as

much as you'd like because I'd be happy

to then spend the next 18 years raising

genos kids and therefore we've evolved

that system to try to thwart a

fundamental danger to our genetic

interest which is paternity uncertainty

there is no such thing as maternity

uncertainty right so when I read that

book with such complicated phenomena

that are explained so elegantly so

parsimoniously so simply so that you go

yeah that makes perfect sense that was

my Eureka moment and so evolutionary

Behavioral Science is exactly I just

described the last 5 10 minutes which is

taking the evolutionary biological and

evolutionary psychological lens to study

human phenomena before we get back to

talking more broadly just came to mind

that with that context in mind then

cheating is

justifiable cheating in a romantic

relationship so I depends what you when

you say justifiable you're falling into

the Trap of if you explain it

scientifically it's okay we also have a

moral compass that's due to an

evolutionary mechanism so one of the

difficulties of life is how to navigate

through the darwinian strings that are

pulling me in different directions right

I've evolved a desire to gorge on fatty

foods but if I do that in an

unrestrained manner I become a sumo

wrestler and I die of heart disease at

42 so I've also evolved the mechanism of

self-control so the fact that I

explained why it might make evolutionary

sense to cheat doesn't mean I'm

justifying it yeah I know and I I think

this is really important because we have

to give people a toolkit to think about

this conversation so that they don't

assume that everything that's being said

is an endorsement of the thing it's just

an explanation of the thing through the

lens of evolution and they're too very

and you know what some people can't do

that some people get so triggered by

those people are called my colleagues oh

really yeah that's right so I just hope

everyone listening now knows that

everything here isn't an endorsement of

a thing it's an evolutionary explanation

for a thing and you know I'm sure we're

both full of biases so nothing is ever

that pure

but we'll try and just hope that from

here on out people understand that when

I ask that question about cheating what

I'm trying to understand is through an

evolutionary perspective is monogamy a

normal thing I'm off and running for the

next 10 minutes you ready I'm I'm ready

let me let me give a little bit of

context here so I've got a lot of male

friends and I see in all honesty the

full spectrum of relationships I've got

and this is kind of how I'll describe it

I've got a cohort of male friends that

are absolutely faithful

in great relationships um committed to

their partners and have exercised what I

I assume is a form of discipline to not

go after any temptations that they might

have love that group of friends great

have this middle group of friends that

are struggling with all kinds of forces

everything from pornography to um to to

to maybe dabbling and then I have this

other group of friends who I would

categorize as the cheaters who cheat

almost

uncontrollably on their Partners UNC

controllably and this is um the spectrum

of friends here is about 20 people now I

look at that group of friends and I go

who is right because morally I can say

the ones over here are hurting people

the cheaters are hurting people you know

especially if they they're found in what

they're doing but who is right from an

evolutionary perspective well they all

are in a sense in that we all have the

desire to stray but we don't necessarily

instantiate that desire through overt

Behavior men and women yeah so that's

very good so usually if I were to say oh

men have evolved a desire for sexual

variety most people even if they don't

nothing about Evolution would say yeah

that that makes sense but now here's the

interesting part women too have evolved

a very strong desire for sexual variety

now not to the same degree as men so

there have been studies that have been

conducted across a bewildering number of

cultures and in every culture that's

been documented men are much more likely

to want more sexual partners and so on

but that doesn't mean that women are

Victorian chased prudes so now let me

give you multiple lines of evidence that

suggest that women are hardly the

Victorian prudes that we might otherwise

wish they were in a Victorian

novel you know when a woman is most

likely to cheat situationally I know

because I've read your work so okay F

okay so so I'll say it or do you want to

say it well it's when they're maximally

fertile isn't it very good you've done

your homework so when they are maximally

fertile is when they're most likely to

stray now that strategy by the way and

and they're less likely to insist on

contraception you would think that if

I'm cheating outside my marriage I'm

speaking as a woman now if I'm cheating

outside my marriage I would want to

increase the likelihood of wearing I

mean using protection because I don't

want to be pregnant but if the strategy

for why I'm cheating is because I'm

shopping for Superior genes then it

becomes incumbent that I don't use

protection right so you seldom have a

woman who will cheat with a guy who has

who is of lower phenotypic quality

genetic quality so I I would love to

have Bill Gates as home as my long-term

partner but then I want the male Olympic

swimmer as the guy behind the bushes now

if I can convince Bill Gates that the

Olympic male swimmer actually looks a

lot like Bill Gates and it's really your

sweetie it's you Billy you're the one

who then I I won the as a woman I've won

the genetic uh Lottery game okay so it's

not that women are not interested in

sexual variet so that's one here's

another

one if you map out this is from studies

I think it was in the early 80s I don't

have the exact reference but it's easy

to find sorry just in your work you say

that women are more likely to cheat with

someone who has good genetic stock yeah

is Bill Gates not got good genetic stock

because he's rich and small so yes so so

the intelligence element is yes maybe

the drive element is yes but the

phenotype is a no I me what's the

phenotype phenotype is your physical

manifestation right so if I say I want a

guy who is tall who has a v uh who's got

testosterone jawline right I mean I

don't usually if I'm a woman I don't in

my uh uh deep recess of my mind

fantasized about being ravished by Bill

Gates

are those physical features just

pointing at the fact this person can

provide for me absolutely I mean and

you're saying but Bill Gates already

provide yeah but it's there also what's

called the sexy sun hypothesis Bill

Gates will not produce I mean he'll

produce kids who potentially to the

extent that intelligence is heritable

will give me intelligent kids but he

won't give me uh the kids that are

bronny right and of course some of us

are lucky to have both braon and brains

but but that's the rare thing

now imagine if I were 4 in taller then I

mean that's it I would be crowned

Emperor no but in all seriousness both

men and women are very duplicitous in

their sexual behavior so the idea that

monogamy is natural is not true now it

is natural in that about 85% of

documented cultures have monogamy as an

Institutional mechanism because we're a

biparental species and almost all the

other ones are have what's called p

which is a term not to be confused with

polygamy so I'm going to do a little

parenthesis and I'm going to come back

to the lines of evidence that proves

that women like sexual variety as well

so polygamy just means one to many

people use it as synonymous with one man

multiple women but that's not what

polygamy is polygamy is one to many

which can take two forms it could be one

man multiple women which is called

polygyny or it could be one woman

multiple men which is called polyandry

there are almost no societies where

institutionally we have polyandry

because it wouldn't make evolutionary

sense for that mating system to arise

the only famous case of polyandry it's

called

Tibetan uh fraternal polyandry so the

word fraternal means that to the extent

that there are ecological reasons why we

have to tolerate one woman going with

multiple guys it'll be brothers and the

reason for that is because of a

mechanism called Inclusive fitness which

is that I can increase my reproductive

Fitness through direct reproduction I

have children and therefore they will

share half my genes but I can also

invest in the children of my siblings

who share also genes with me and I could

still be increasing my Inclusive fitness

so therefore polyandry need not be a

darwinian dead end because I'm still

extending my genes even in in such a

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