Episode 34: Nicholas Christakis on The Evolutionary Origins of Society

Sense of Mind Podcast Episode 34: Nicholas Christakis on The Evolutionary Origins of Society Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/ZymrWBQ9nfE Human societies are a product of our evolution as a social species. While many scientists have focused on the negative side of our evolved social life–especially our violent tendencies–that’s only half the story. Physician and social scientist, Dr. Nicholas Christakis argues that we also have an evolved tendency toward forming good societies where people flourish. In this interview, Dr. Christakis and I discuss this and related ideas from his 2019 book, “Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of A Good Society.” Get a copy of “Blueprint”: https://www.amazon.com/Blueprint-Evolutionary-Origins-Good-Society/dp/0316230030 Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. His work is in the fields of network science, biosocial science, and behavior genetics. He directs the Human Nature Lab and is the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2006; the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010; and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. Dr. Christakis is the author of over 200 articles and several books. His influential book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, documented how social networks affect our lives and was translated into twenty foreign languages. In 2009, Christakis was named by Time magazine to their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2009 and in 2010, he was listed by Foreign Policy magazine in their annual list of Top 100 Global Thinkers. See more of Dr. Christakis’ writing and work by following him on Twitter @NAChristakis (https://twitter.com/NAChristakis) Thumbnail Photo of Dr. Christakis Credit: Evan Mann -- Chapters: 00:00 Human societies are a product of our evolution as a social species 01:55 Summary of Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society by Nicholas Christakis 05:38 A “good” society according to Dr Christakis 12:30 The Social Suite 15:39 The evolutionary psychology of individuality 19:02 Polygamy vs Monogamy 24:18 What are intentional societies? What is collective parenting? 28:50 Friendship, evolution, and morality 34:30 What are social networks? 38:57 In-group bias in social evolution 43:37 Is diversity always a strength? 53:05 Social Engineering 58:21 Wealth inequality and social cohesion 01:05:04 Nicholas Christakis on science communication -- Connect, Follow and Subscribe! Linktree: https://linktr.ee/senseofmind Link to all of our video newsletters: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC92ipyM9i9L_9yna8Jn6eM5RSQmNbSJj Subscribe to the Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC610T-s8gpOVDtAVXTZ35FQ?sub_confirmation=1 Website: www.Senseofmindshow.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support