Person
Every book David Buss recommended on podcasts
Across 4 podcasts. Every show David Buss appears on, in one place — not just one.
David Buss’s most recommended books
- This Is Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah Hill
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
- The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
- The Murderer Next Door by David M. Buss
- The prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
David Buss appears on podcasts as an evolutionary psychologist and academic researcher dedicated to exploring human mating strategies, sex differences, dating behaviors, and the evolutionary origins of human nature. Based on his podcast conversations, Buss approaches psychology through a strictly evolutionary lens, examining how ancient survival and reproductive pressures continue to shape modern human behavior, conflict, and psychology. To support his scientific arguments and contextualize his research fields, Buss frequently recommends and discusses foundational scientific and philosophical texts. He praises Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate as a crucial work that comprehensively dismantles historical denials of human nature and biological predispositions. Additionally, he recommends Sarah Hill's This Is Your Brain on Birth Control, highlighting the research of his former student regarding the physiological and psychological effects of hormonal contraceptives on women's mating choices. When discussing his own academic contributions, Buss references his research on evolutionary threats, such as his book The Murderer Next Door, to explain human violence through adaptation. He also grounds his discussions in classic intellectual works, citing Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species to explain survival adaptations and Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince to explore the historical roots of dark triad personality traits and Machiavellianism in human social interactions.
Books recommended by David Buss
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This Is Your Brain on Birth Control
Sarah Hill's "This Is Your Brain on Birth Control" explores the surprising science of women's hormones and the unintended consequences of the birth control pill on behavior, psychology, and relationships.
Recommended“some of it done by Sarah hill by the way a professor at uh Texas Christian University the former student of mine and she's superb she's written a book called your brain on birth control which I recommended she would be cool to have on your podcast”
Where to get it
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The Blank Slate
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker is a widely read nonfiction book that challenges the traditional sociological doctrine that the human mind is entirely shaped by culture and environment at birth, arguing instead for a nuanced view of innate human nature and genetics.
Discussed“and his book The Blank Slate um lays all this out”
Where to get it
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The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a seminal science book that popularizes a gene-centric view of evolution and explores the biological origins of selfishness and altruism.
Discussed“First advanced this hypothesis in the preface, in 1976 to Dawkins' book, The Selfish Gene.”
Where to get it
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On the Origin of Species
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is a foundational scientific text that outlines the theory of evolution by means of natural selection.
Discussed“you know and of course that's really what Darwin's first book On the Origin of Species was all about survival adaptations to survival”
Where to get it
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The Denial of Death
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning psychological and philosophical study arguing that human civilization is ultimately driven by an unconscious terror of mortality.
Discussed“it's a fascinating book to read denial of death”
Where to get it
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The Murderer Next Door
The Murderer Next Door by David M.
Discussed“you wrote a whole book on murder I wrote a whole book on murder yeah uh you know uh yeah the murderer next door”
Where to get it
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The prince
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is a classic Renaissance treatise that outlines the pragmatic realities, strategies, and moral compromises involved in the acquisition and preservation of political power.
Discussed“this actually came from originally from the book The Prince which is one of these classic books where um there's an advisor to the prince who's advising him on all these”
Where to get it
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When Men Behave Badly
When Men Behave Badly by David Buss is a comprehensive exploration of evolutionary psychology that investigates the deep-seated roots of sexual deception, harassment, and interpersonal conflict between sexes.
Discussed“and in the uk it's bad men”
Where to get it
Books David Buss wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (11: passing, ad reads, own books)
“you wrote a whole book on murder I wrote a whole book on murder yeah uh you know uh yeah the murderer next door”
“if I were to alert your listeners to one I would say the first one to start with would be the evolution of Desire because that gives a broad overview of human strategies of human mating”
“this is a sex difference that that i capture in the book under the category of desire for sexual variety”
“and i remember when i wrote my first book the evolution of desire strategies of human mating i had a this whole section on”
“Okay so, well, my most recent book is called, When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault, and that book deals with conflict between the sexes, sexual conflict.”
“It's called, The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating. And it gives people a broad overview of what people want in a mate, tactics of attraction, tactics of mate retention, and so forth, throughout the whole mating process, serial mating, causes of divorce, and so forth.”
“And then even more broadly, I have a textbook called, Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, which is in its sixth edition right now, and it's the most widely used textbook in evolutionary psychology around North America and Europe.”
“And then even more broadly, I have a textbook called, Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, which is in its sixth edition right now,”
“and so that's why i call when men behave bad it's not it's not a book about male bashing”
“and it's one of the things i argue in this book in that you what you have is these forms of sexual conflict”
“so in in the book for example i talk about uh the dark triad as being critical”