Dr. Bill von Hippel

You need some minimal levels of competence. But once you cross minimal competence, kindness means you're going to look out for me. And that matters a lot. Do nice guys finish last in the evolutionary world? They don't, actually. So the good thing about being a nice guy is they tend to finish first.

You need some minimal levels of competence. But once you cross minimal competence, kindness means you're going to look out for me. And that matters a lot. Do nice guys finish last in the evolutionary world? They don't, actually. So the good thing about being a nice guy is they tend to finish first.

And so when we look in hunter-gatherer communities and we look at people choosing their partners to go out on hunts in the morning, they actually choose the nice guys over the better hunters. Now, again, you need a minimal level of competence. Now, they pay a big price to finish first because lots of people take advantage of them. And so I share with you and you never share back with me.

And so when we look in hunter-gatherer communities and we look at people choosing their partners to go out on hunts in the morning, they actually choose the nice guys over the better hunters. Now, again, you need a minimal level of competence. Now, they pay a big price to finish first because lots of people take advantage of them. And so I share with you and you never share back with me.

But if I'm a nice guy, I'm like, that's okay. You know, Stephen will come around. Someday he'll learn to share with me too. Or if he doesn't, that's okay. He's a good guy and I like to give him half my rabbit that I caught. So in economist terms, they're suckers a lot. They give a lot more than they get. But as far as winning in the world, everybody wants to be with you.

But if I'm a nice guy, I'm like, that's okay. You know, Stephen will come around. Someday he'll learn to share with me too. Or if he doesn't, that's okay. He's a good guy and I like to give him half my rabbit that I caught. So in economist terms, they're suckers a lot. They give a lot more than they get. But as far as winning in the world, everybody wants to be with you.

The factors that matter for women are different for men because men are fertile throughout their whole lives, and it's so easy to be fertile. You're making 100 million sperm a day or whatever that number is. They're tiny little cells. You can just do it even if you're old and desiccated. Fertility is crazy hard for a woman. You need to be under the age of 40, basically.

The factors that matter for women are different for men because men are fertile throughout their whole lives, and it's so easy to be fertile. You're making 100 million sperm a day or whatever that number is. They're tiny little cells. You can just do it even if you're old and desiccated. Fertility is crazy hard for a woman. You need to be under the age of 40, basically.

Once our ancestral females hit 40, they almost never reproduced anymore. And we could talk about why that is. It's an interesting evolutionary solution to a problem. But then during that time, you have to be well fed and you have to be healthy because it's super hard to maintain a pregnancy. That's, you know, nine months where if you're not getting enough food, it's hard to feed that fetus.

Once our ancestral females hit 40, they almost never reproduced anymore. And we could talk about why that is. It's an interesting evolutionary solution to a problem. But then during that time, you have to be well fed and you have to be healthy because it's super hard to maintain a pregnancy. That's, you know, nine months where if you're not getting enough food, it's hard to feed that fetus.

So for women, they need fat on their bodies, which was hard in our ancestral world. That meant they're well fed. They need to be healthy and they need to be young. And so when you have those qualities, that's more important than anything else for men. Because when it comes down to it, living forever is nice, but evolution doesn't care about it if you don't reproduce.

So for women, they need fat on their bodies, which was hard in our ancestral world. That meant they're well fed. They need to be healthy and they need to be young. And so when you have those qualities, that's more important than anything else for men. Because when it comes down to it, living forever is nice, but evolution doesn't care about it if you don't reproduce.

Reproduction is the currency of evolution. And so what men are looking for in a partner is somebody who's reproductive, who's fertile. So is attraction an evolutionary thing in your view versus like a social thing? Well, it's always both, right? You know, humans are wildly malleable. And you can move things around in crazy ways.

Reproduction is the currency of evolution. And so what men are looking for in a partner is somebody who's reproductive, who's fertile. So is attraction an evolutionary thing in your view versus like a social thing? Well, it's always both, right? You know, humans are wildly malleable. And you can move things around in crazy ways.

You know, look at what people found attractive just 50 years ago compared to today. But there's a lot of basics that underlie it. And so, for example... If you look at the actual shape of women and their hip-to-waist ratio, whether their bum is big or not big in the current climate, the hip-to-waist ratio doesn't change.

You know, look at what people found attractive just 50 years ago compared to today. But there's a lot of basics that underlie it. And so, for example... If you look at the actual shape of women and their hip-to-waist ratio, whether their bum is big or not big in the current climate, the hip-to-waist ratio doesn't change.

And that's because that hip-to-waist ratio is correlated with fertility, but the size of your bum, not so much. And in fact, when women deposit fats pre-menopause, they deposit them on their thighs and their bum, which is where those fats are really good for the baby. They help neural development. You know, your brain is loaded with fat.

And that's because that hip-to-waist ratio is correlated with fertility, but the size of your bum, not so much. And in fact, when women deposit fats pre-menopause, they deposit them on their thighs and their bum, which is where those fats are really good for the baby. They help neural development. You know, your brain is loaded with fat.

When you're in utero, you need your mother to have lots of fat, ideally on her bum and thighs, because that's going to help feed your growing brain.

When you're in utero, you need your mother to have lots of fat, ideally on her bum and thighs, because that's going to help feed your growing brain.