Evolution & the Mind
Evolutionary perspectives on mental life, emotion, development, and behavior.
- Atheism & Secular Life (5)
- Blog (32)
- Childfree Life (5)
- Emotional Health (15)
- Evolution & the Mind (13)
- Leaving Religion & Cults (4)
- Psychoanalysis & Therapy (12)
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CARE: Why Someone Else’s Comfort Can Feel So Good
Your friend has the flu. They text to cancel dinner, apologize unnecessarily, and mention that they haven’t eaten much. Half an hour later, you’re outside their door with soup and…
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LUST: You Weren’t Planning to Want Anyone
You were going to stay for one drink. Then that person arrivev, and suddenly you have opinions about where to sit. You notice their hands, the way they look at…
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RAGE: The Part of You That Has Had Enough
You’ve already said you can’t take on the extra work. You have plans for the weekend, and you’re barely keeping up with what’s already yours. Then, halfway through the meeting,…
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FEAR: Your Brain Has Already Diagnosed You
You notice a lump while showering. You check again, hoping your fingers have made an administrative error. They haven’t. Within minutes, you’re Googling in your towel, and of course one…
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PLAY: Why Messing Around Matters
You’re cooking dinner with your favorite person who objects to how much garlic you’re using. You are about to get annoyed, but decide to reality-check it first. You realize it’s…
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PANIC/GRIEF: Why It Still Feels Like Shit Even When the Breakup Is Right
The emotional system behind missing people, seeking reassurance, and struggling to let go. You ended the relationship, and you had good reasons. You’d spent months trying to resolve the same…
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SEEKING: Why Wanting Can Feel Better Than Having
The emotional system behind your interest, ambition, and appetite for what comes next. You’ve spent three weeks researching a new camera. You’ve compared lenses, watched reviews, and imagined the photographs…
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Evolution Didn’t Promise You a Good Time: How Feelings Guide Your Life And How to Make Them Work for You
Feelings have an odd reputation for something that determines how much money you save, how you navigate the relationship with your neighbor, whether you change jobs, and whether you get…
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Sex, Gender, and the Making of a Self
“Boy or girl?” is most often among the first questions asked about a person. The answer may precede your name. It precedes your earliest memory, and every thought you eventually…
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Your Mind, Your Genes, and the Parts You Don’t See
When you think about yourself, your own history offers the most immediate material. Your thoughts, feelings, motives, and peculiarities feel personal and private, shaped by what you have experienced and…