Justin Garcia (on the science of sex)

Episode overview

Justin Garcia (The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love) is an evolutionary biologist, researcher on sex and relationships, and Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute. Justin joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the unique quality that human sex is so tied to our social behavior, the physiological constraints on mating in other animals, and how sexually we are like magpies. Justin and Dax talk about why gorillas have really small testes, how the pandemic resulted in couples weathering the storms of relationship conflict, and an evolutionary explanation for how difficult it is to choose mates on a dating app. Justin explains how collecting hormone samples at a brothel in Las Vegas led him to write his book, why there’s no requirement to enter a relationship fully healed, and the social science behind love, partnership, fidelity, and heartbreak.

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Short transcript highlights

These brief excerpts are navigation aids selected from different points in the transcript.

1. 0:00Justin, where are you in from? Uh, Indiana. It's in Indiana.
2. 50:30don't know where and we're social creatures who are obsessed with status and hierarchy. So where am I in this
3. 1:41:28delight. Thanks for coming. Thanks so much for having me. It was great. All right. Be well."