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In today’s episode, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk discuss: 

1. My question is about how evolutionary psychologists can interpret the species-specific human diet differently. Dr. Lisle supports a plant-based, starch-heavy diet. Meanwhile, Dr. Geoffrey Miller supports a paleo diet (heavy in meat and greens). It seems clear that the majority of calories were gathered, not hunted, which lends weight to the plant-based, starch-heavy type of diet being the standard human diet and the correct one to follow. How can researchers have such different interpretations of human diet?

2. I would love to get the doctors’ take on the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early). Is it just another example of the enlightenment trap? I read “Your Money or Your Life” in my mid-twenties and since then have been saving approximately half of my income. I now have enough to “frugal retire” if I want to. But now I don’t have a goal to work towards. I’ve always wanted to travel and learn foreign languages; so I’m doing that. But I know that if I wasn’t taking classes every day I’d be bored out of my mind. Did I just waste the last decade of my life engineering my very own complacency cage?

3. Noways, a lot of people gravitate towards food when they are stressed. What did people do in the Stone Age when they were stressed? Did they fight, did they sleep, did they meditate, did they go on walks, did they talk about it? And what about animals? What do they do when they feel stressed?

4. I was wondering if Jen and Doug have ever talked about the increase in angry violent outbursts on airplanes and other places that has happened in this age of Covid.  There have always been angry outbursts but why have they increased now.  Is it some kind of temper tantrum in reaction to loss of control due to Covid.  Social media is just filled with these incidents.

In today’s show, Dr. Howk discusses:

1. My house is lovely, and clutter free – except one attic room which is where I keep a large amount of sentimental objects all neatly packed and stored and kept clean. I have a lot of objects, letters and cards from my own childhood and life. I have a lot of my children’s clothes from age 0- 5, and a lot of their toys from the early years. I have their dismantled cot. I have every picture they have ever drawn. Why do I feel I need to keep all these possessions? Is there a way past becoming so attached to things?

2. My boyfriend and I have been dating for over a year and are very happy. I am 38 and he is 44. We’ve talked a little bit about children and both came to the conclusion that we don’t want to start over. . Anyways, I’ve had to get on various forms of birth control and some have been horrible on my body and mind. I got information about a vasectomy for him, even told him I’d pay for half and he kind of makes excuses and doesn’t sound like he’s in a hurry to do so. What do you think this means? Does he eventually want another child but just not with me? Should I try and push the issue more or just keep trying different birth control methods even though they are costly and inconvenient for me? I’m a very non confrontational person, what is the best way to bring this up and also ways to help me not stew on the idea that I don’t qualify as a mother to his potential child.

3. How do I get over the victim mentality?

4.Over the last few months I’ve been feeling ‘down’. The only thing really missing is that ‘other half’ in my life. Could that one thing really be causing me to feel so unhappy with my life? Or do you think with current events, Covid etc there is just a general wariness and fatigue over us all?