Jealousy, Biological Sex Differences, and Mate Selection with Prof David Buss (Interview)

This week Effy and Jacqueline are curious about the purpose of jealousy: 

• What is jealousy? How do you characterize it?
• What are the evolutionary roots of jealousy? And what purpose does it serve in the emotional portfolio of the human species? 
• What are the distinctions between the biological sexes and jealousy, based on existing research?

We are challenging the status quo that jealousy is bad and something that non-monogamous people should not feel. 

To guide us in our exploration, our guest this week is Prof David Buss:
David Buss is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Buss previously taught at Harvard University and the University of Michigan. He is considered the world’s leading scientific expert on strategies of human mating and one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology. 

His books include The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating; Evolutionary Psychology:  The New Science of the Mind; The Dangerous Passion:  Why Jealousy is as Necessary as Love and Sex; The Murderer Next Door:  Why the Mind is Designed to Kill; and Why Women Have Sex (with Cindy Meston). 

His new book: When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault (2021) uncovers the evolutionary roots of conflict between the sexes. Buss has more than 300 scientific publications. In 2019, he was cited as one of the 50 most influential living psychologists in the world.

To find more about Prof David Buss,  go to her website  or follow him on Twitter  @ProfDavidBuss