Dr. Bill von Hippel

You either succeed, showing just how skilled you are at whatever the domain is, or you fail and either turn into a real rash, and therefore you've removed yourself from the gene pool, or you bounce right back up because you're such a robust organism. In either case, you're demonstrating that's an honest signal of quality.

You either succeed, showing just how skilled you are at whatever the domain is, or you fail and either turn into a real rash, and therefore you've removed yourself from the gene pool, or you bounce right back up because you're such a robust organism. In either case, you're demonstrating that's an honest signal of quality.

When we follow the data over time, we see that high testosterone men are more likely to pair up. They take these risks. Women find them attractive at some level, even if they don't personally feel like it's attractive at the moment. But something about that is attractive to them. And it may only be getting other men to back off.

When we follow the data over time, we see that high testosterone men are more likely to pair up. They take these risks. Women find them attractive at some level, even if they don't personally feel like it's attractive at the moment. But something about that is attractive to them. And it may only be getting other men to back off.

When I take these big risks, you may say, well, I'm not going to try to crowd in on Bill saying he's too tough. We don't know with certainty. But they take these risks. And then once they partner up, then their testosterone levels go back down. Because once you have a family, taking risks is foolish.

When I take these big risks, you may say, well, I'm not going to try to crowd in on Bill saying he's too tough. We don't know with certainty. But they take these risks. And then once they partner up, then their testosterone levels go back down. Because once you have a family, taking risks is foolish.

You want to take risks to get in the mating game, but you don't want to keep taking risks once you've got people depending on you.

You want to take risks to get in the mating game, but you don't want to keep taking risks once you've got people depending on you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Things like physical size is an honest signal of quality. Things like wealth. If you earned all that money, you know, there's inherited wealth. We live in this kind of funny world, but it still gives you all the advantages of wealth if you earned it yourself. There's ambition, things like that.

Things like physical size is an honest signal of quality. Things like wealth. If you earned all that money, you know, there's inherited wealth. We live in this kind of funny world, but it still gives you all the advantages of wealth if you earned it yourself. There's ambition, things like that.

People look for ambition because if you are out there working hard all the time, it's an honest signal that you're going to probably continue to do that, provide for somebody, et cetera.

People look for ambition because if you are out there working hard all the time, it's an honest signal that you're going to probably continue to do that, provide for somebody, et cetera.

That's a great example. Humor is an honest signal of quality. Now, it's funny because you could think, well, you could just be funny by memorizing jokes. But if you think of your friends who are funny, you don't sit down and go, hey, did I tell you the one about Pat and Mike? That's not how people are funny, you know, unless they're paid to do that up on stage.

That's a great example. Humor is an honest signal of quality. Now, it's funny because you could think, well, you could just be funny by memorizing jokes. But if you think of your friends who are funny, you don't sit down and go, hey, did I tell you the one about Pat and Mike? That's not how people are funny, you know, unless they're paid to do that up on stage.

People are funny by making connections that you hadn't thought of, by twisting the world 90 degrees and linking things together. And that takes an agile mind. And there's more genetic expression in our brain than anywhere else in our body. So it's a sign of good genes. And also, we're a cognitive species. Being smart is super important for men and women. That's how you succeed.

People are funny by making connections that you hadn't thought of, by twisting the world 90 degrees and linking things together. And that takes an agile mind. And there's more genetic expression in our brain than anywhere else in our body. So it's a sign of good genes. And also, we're a cognitive species. Being smart is super important for men and women. That's how you succeed.

But as humans, we also care an enormous amount about kindness. And if that person who has nothing else going for them is kind, that person's going to do well in life. Because kindness ends up trumping everything just because there's a host of reasons for that. One of which is that if you're a kind person, you're a great partner to me, even if you've got almost no other good qualities.

But as humans, we also care an enormous amount about kindness. And if that person who has nothing else going for them is kind, that person's going to do well in life. Because kindness ends up trumping everything just because there's a host of reasons for that. One of which is that if you're a kind person, you're a great partner to me, even if you've got almost no other good qualities.