Monkey Business - Robin Dunbar, Dave Gorman and Jo Setchell
Summary
Hosted by Brian Cox and Dave Gorman, this episode explores the romantic and sexual behaviors of primates with evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar and anthropologist Joe Sertiche. The guests discuss how factors like food distribution influence monogamy versus polygamy, the role of scent and genetics in mate selection, and the cognitive limits of social groups, including Dunbar’s Number. They also address same-sex behavior and the concept of love, concluding with a lighthearted segment on what species of monkey each guest would choose to be.
Topics discussed
Intro: Antalya travel and Kleenex ad
Brian's childhood monkey encounter and show premise
Introduction of panelists and Mandrill research
Defining monkey romance and friendship
Group size, food distribution, and monogamy
Dunbar's number and brain size correlations
Facebook data and primate social network limits
The synchrony problem and cognitive ceilings
Family bonds and the 'pin-up' monkey concept
Mandrill color, rank, and female mate choice
Immune genes, smell, and human perfume choices
Humorous exchange on buying perfume for wife
Ape sexual complexity and bonobo fashion
Sponsor reads: Whole Foods, Eminem, Greenies, Lincoln
Causal reasoning vs. social intelligence in primates
Monogamy, brain size, and anthropomorphism
Oxytocin, bonding hormones, and same-sex pairs
Measuring love: behavior vs. neural patterns
The limits of knowing animal subjective experience
Monkey sex: pleasure, social bonding, and solo acts
Same-sex relationships in primates and humans
Defining love in research and cultural variations
Clipspringers and choosing a primate identity
Outro: Chimp lip-syncing and credits
Teaser for next episode: Toddler emotions
Zuva medication disclaimer
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