Best Robin Dunbar Podcasts (2025)

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#47: Robin Dunbar - The Chemistry of Connection 41:59

1d ago41:59

41:59

Episode Summary The equally erudite and jovial Robin Dunbar joins Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast for the first of a two part conversation about limits and leaps of social patterns in primates and humans. An Oxford University professor of evolutionary psychology and someone with a facile grasp of multiple sciences and histories, Professor D…

1
703 D.H. Lawrence (with David Ellis) | My Last Book with Dorian Lynskey 1:09:35

2d ago1:09:35

1:09:35

D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) is one of the most famous novelists of his era - and one of the most difficult to pin down. Was he a tasteless, avant-garde pornographer? Or the greatest imaginative novelist of his generation (as E.M. Forster once said)? What should we know about his hard-luck childhood and turbulent adult life? In this episode, Jacke tal…

1
#42: Alex Hutchinson | Seeking the Unknown 52:18

6d ago52:18

52:18

Science journalist Alex Hutchinson explores risk, reinvention, and what drives us to seek the unknown – in sport, life, and beyond. With a rare mix of elite athletic experience and academic insight, Alex unpacks what drives high performers to grow, adapt, and keep going, especially when the path ahead isn’t clear. Whether you’re an athlete, a leade…

1
702 Writing in the World of Jane Austen (with D.G. Rampton) | Disaster at the Book Festival! 52:01

6d ago52:01

52:01

Jacke talks to D.G. Rampton, Australia's Queen of the Regency Romance, about her love for the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer - and what it's like for a twenty-first-century novelist to set her novels in the early-nineteenth-century world of intelligent heroines, dashing men, and sparkling banter. Find PLUS Jacke dives into the story of a…

1
701 Emerson's Struggle with Slavery (with Kenneth Sacks) | My Last Book with Victoria Namkung | We Had Sex Inside Moby-Dick! 1:11:31

9d ago1:11:31

1:11:31

For several decades, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was perhaps the most prominent writer and intellectual in America. As an advocate of personal freedom living in Massachusetts, surrounded by passionate abolitionists, one might expect that his positions regarding slavery would be obvious and uncomplicated. And yet, Emerson struggled with the issu…

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Dancing with Uncertainty: Creativity, Leadership & the Power of Art | Margaret Heffernan 35:23

13d ago35:23

35:23

Why the future belongs to the imaginative — what leaders can learn from art. In this rich and provocative conversation, Tracey Camilleri welcomes best-selling author, entrepreneur, and professor Margaret Heffernan to talk about her latest book, Embracing Uncertainty: How Writers, Musicians, and Artists Thrive in an Unpredictable World. Together the…

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Unbound Tool #11 Fighting Disease Through Visualisation with Patrick Sweeney 4:18

14d ago4:18

4:18

In this Unbound Tool, best-selling author and entrepreneur Patrick Sweeney shares his journey of battling a rare form of leukaemia, using mental performance techniques from the Olympic Training Centre. As doctors collaborated with a Penn State expert, Patrick harnessed visualisation to strengthen his mind and body, picturing his cells as warriors f…

1
700 - Butterflies at Rest 28:08

15d ago28:08

28:08

Returning to some devastating news after a trip to Paris, Jacke searches for lost time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate

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699 Gatsby's Daisy (with Rachel Feder) | My Last Book with Francesca Peacock 1:12:12

23d ago1:12:12

1:12:12

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby might be one hundred years old, but it's still incredibly relevant: one list-of-lists site ranks it as the number-one book of all time. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Rachel Feder about this classic tale of reinvention - and the reinventing she did for her book Daisy, which retells the Gatsby sto…

1
#46: Amy Emerson - Breaking the Stigma: Psychedelics in Society 1:12:19

25d ago1:12:19

1:12:19

Episode Summary The highly informed and deeply compassionate Amy Emerson joins Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast for a remarkable conversation about the evolving landscape of psychedelics. With her extensive involvement and leadership in the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)* and their multi-year effort to get MDMA a…

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698 Dante in Love (with Ellen Nerenberg and Anthony Valerio) [Ad-Free Archive Edition] 1:05:26

27d ago1:05:26

1:05:26

It's springtime! A great time to be in love - and if you're a poetic genius like Dante Alighieri, a great time to catch a glimpse of a girl named Beatrice on the streets of Florence, fall madly in love with her, and spend the rest of your life beatifying her in verse. In this episode, we present a conversation that first aired in February 2018, in …

1
697 Race in European Fairy Tales (with Kimberly Lau) | My Last Book with Rolf Hellebust 1:21:03

1M ago1:21:03

1:21:03

Anyone digging into fairy tales soon discovers that there's more to these stories of magic and wonder than meets the eye. Often thought of as stories for children, the narratives can be shockingly violent, and they sometimes deliver messages or "morals" at odds with modern sensibilities. In this episode, Jacke talks to Kimberly Lau about her book S…

1
696 John Ruskin (with Sara Atwood) | My Last Book with Collin Jennings 1:00:25

1M ago1:00:25

1:00:25

John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a powerhouse of a man: writer, lecturer, critic, social reformer - and much else besides. From his five-volume work Modern Painters through his late writings about literature in Fiction, Fair and Foul, he brought to his subjects an energy and integrity that few critical thinkers have matched. His wide-ranging influence r…

1
695 Ten Indian Classics (with Sharmila Sen) | My Last Book with Adam Smyth 1:03:57

1M ago1:03:57

1:03:57

For the past ten years, the Murty Classical Library of India (published by Harvard University Press) has sought to do for classic Indian works what the famous Loeb Classical Library has done for Ancient Greek and Roman texts. In this episode, Jacke talks to editorial director Sharmila Sen about the joys and challenges of sifting through thousands o…

1
More... Play with Brenna Hassett 14:52

1M ago14:52

14:52

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Play with Brenna Hassett. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
12. Why do we play? 14:42

1M ago14:42

14:42

Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do humans play? The Neanderthals are a species that was so close to us that we could reproduce with them, they had creativity, technology and they made art - handprints on cave walls and painted shells strung into necklaces. But it turns out the Neanderthals had shorter childhoods than us. Their children…

1
694 Apocalyptic Literature (with Dorian Lynskey) | My Last Book with Charles Baxter 1:07:02

1M ago1:07:02

1:07:02

For some reason, human beings don't seem to be content just thinking about their own death: they insist on imagining the end of the entire world. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Dorian Lynskey (Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World), who immersed himself in apocalyptic films and literature to discover exactly wha…

1
More... Bad Boys with Julia Stern 16:49

1M ago16:49

16:49

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Bad Boys with Julia Stern. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
11. Why do we fall for the bad boy? 14:44

1M ago14:44

14:44

Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi looks at the evidence for what people want in a partner and how it changes as they get older. Psychologist Julia Stern from the University of Bremen shares the results of a study which recruited people from a singles night in a Berlin club and followed them for 13 years. Novelist Adele Parks explains why writing …

1
More... Dancing with Bronwyn Tarr 15:24

1M ago15:24

15:24

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Dancing with Bronwyn Tarr. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
10. Why do we dance? 14:36

1M ago14:36

14:36

Dance seems like such a natural thing, a good beat comes on and you can’t help it, you might find yourself bobbing, even the rhythmically impaired might find themselves tapping their fingers along to the music and it starts early - one study has shown that babies as young as 5 months engage in rhythmic movements.Every culture on earth dances and ye…

1
More... Pubs with Robin Dunbar 14:02

1M ago14:02

14:02

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Pubs with Robin Dunbar. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
9. Why do we go to the pub? 14:46

1M ago14:46

14:46

Humans have evolved to drink alcohol, or at least to be able to metabolise it. And we share this ability with our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas, who are also able to convert alcohol into sugar. It gave our ancestors an advantage because we could eat rotting fruit from the forest floor and convert the alcohol into sugars, pr…

1
More... Nature with Gregory Bratman 16:27

1M ago16:27

16:27

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Nature with Gregory Bratman. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
8. Why does nature make me feel calmer? 15:13

1M ago15:13

15:13

Nature is charismatic, a good view can take our breath away and a walk in the woods can help de-stress our frazzled minds. But have we always been this way? Because after all, our early ancestors didn’t have cities to escape from. Is an affinity with the natural world around us, something we inherited? Ella Al-Shamahi asks psychologist Dr Gregory B…

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E30 - Erica Komisar - The Inconvenient Truth About Parenting In 2025 1:04:36

1M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

Erica Komisar – The Inconvenient Truth about Parenting in 2025 In this thought-provoking episode, Pete Hunt welcomes back psychoanalyst and bestselling author Erica Komisar, following a year of exponential growth in her reach and message — including a recent appearance on The Diary of a CEO. Known for challenging modern parenting ideals, Erica conf…

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#41: Karen Eber | How to Influence & Inspire Through Storytelling 52:07

1M ago52:07

52:07

Karen Eber breaks down the science of storytelling and why it’s the secret weapon for influence, connection, and driving real change. Karen shares how the right story can shape teams, inspire action, and build stronger relationships. Whether you're leading a company, managing a team, or just want to communicate more effectively, this conversation i…

1
693 Understanding the Wonders of Nature (with Alan Lightman) | My Last Book with Alan Lightman 1:00:13

1M ago1:00:13

1:00:13

In today's world of specialization, Alan Lightman is that rare individual who has accomplished remarkable things in two very different realms. As a physicist with a Ph.D. from Cal Tech, he's taught at Harvard and MIT and advised the United Nations. As a novelist, he's written award-winning bestsellers like Einstein's Dreams and The Diagnosis. In th…

1
692 An Investigation in Chinatown (with Radha Vatsal) | The Five Books (with Tali Rosenblatt-Cohen) 1:02:57

2M ago1:02:57

1:02:57

It's a two-for-one special! First, Jacke talks to novelist Radha Vatsal about her new book, No. 10 Doyers Street, which tells the gripping story of an Indian woman journalist investigating a bloody shooting in New York's Chinatown circa 1907. Then podcaster Tali Rosenblatt-Cohen stops by to discuss her experience hosting The Five Books, which asks …

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E29 - Nick Duffell - Understanding Ex-Boarding School Men's Marriages 55:30

2M ago55:30

55:30

In this powerful episode of The Privileged Man Podcast, Pete Hunt sits down with Nick Duffell, psychotherapist, author, and pioneer of work around boarding school trauma. They explore why so many high-achieving men with these privileged backgrounds feel emotionally stuck, the hidden impact of early survival strategies, and how intimacy becomes one …

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691 The Making of Sylvia Plath (with Carl Rollyson) | My Last Book with Cheryl Hopson 1:04:05

2M ago1:04:05

1:04:05

Since her death, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) has been an endless source of fascination for fans of her and her work. But while much attention has been paid to her tumultuous relationship with fellow poet Ted Hughes, we often overlook the influences that formed her, long before she traveled to England and met Hughes. What movies did s…

1
690 Coleridge and the Person from Porlock [Ad-Free] 1:06:26

2M ago1:06:26

1:06:26

[This episode originally ran on July 18, 2016. It is presented here without commercial interruption.] In 1797, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge took two grains of opium and fell into a stupor. When he awoke, he had in his head the remnants of a marvelous dream, a vivid train of images of the Chinese emperor Kubla Khan and his summer palace, Xanadu.…

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Unbound Tool #10 The Mental Cost of Constant Virtual Connectivity with Sarah McKay 6:15

2M ago6:15

6:15

What happens when technology takes the place of real-world interactions? In this Unbound Tool, Sarah McKay reveals the impact of digital life on our well-being, touching on everything from social media addiction to the loss of authentic communication. As our reliance on virtual connections grows, Sarah warns of the mental health consequences and th…

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689 Thomas Kyd (with Brian Vickers) | My Last Book with Jonathan D.S. Schroeder 47:28

2M ago47:28

47:28

For centuries, the playwright Thomas Kyd has been best known as the author of The Spanish Tragedy, a terrific story of revenge believed to have strongly influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet. And yet, a contemporary referred to Kyd as "industrious Kyd." What happened to the rest of his plays? In this episode, Jacke talks to scholar Brian Vickers about hi…

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E28 - The Monumental Men - What Happens Inside Monumental... 38:25

2M ago38:25

38:25

In a special departure from the usual one-on-one format, host Pete Hunt of The Privileged Man Podcast, who also Founded "Monumental", welcomes George, Mike, Oli, Sam, and Ben, a group of Monumental members, for a candid conversation about what really goes on inside Monumental. Together, they discuss how meaningful support, honest dialogue, and putt…

1
688 Georges Simenon 1:05:36

2M ago1:05:36

1:05:36

The Belgian-born French writer Georges Simenon (1903-1989) was astonishing for his literary ambition and output. The author of something like 400 novels, which he wrote in 7-10 day bursts (after checking with his physician beforehand to ensure that he could handle the strain), he's perhaps best known for his creation of Chief Inspector Jules Maigre…

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Unbound Tool #9 How to Create and Maintain Powerful Connections with Jordan Harbinger 3:26

2M ago3:26

3:26

What if you could build a network based on trust and mutual respect, without ever asking for anything in return? Jordan Harbinger breaks down the art of relationship-building in a way that is both practical and meaningful. Tune in to learn how you can use these techniques in your own life to cultivate deeper connections and open doors you didn’t ev…

1
687 Gatsby Turns 100 (with James West) 53:29

2M ago53:29

53:29

"I want to write something new," American author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in a letter to his editor, "something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." Months later, he presented the results: the novel that would eventually be titled The Great Gatsby. Published in 1925 to middling success, the book has since become a can…

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More... Blushing with Laith Al-Shawaf 18:20

2M ago18:20

18:20

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Blushing with Laith Al-Shawaf. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

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7. Why do we blush? 14:27

2M ago14:27

14:27

Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi asks why we blush. Even Darwin was intrigued by blushing. He called it “the most peculiar and most human of all expression” but didn’t think it had a function. Dr Laith Al-Shawaf from the University of Colorado makes students do embarrassing things to understand why we blush and how blushing can make people like …

1
686 Russian Poetry After the Cold War (with Stephanie Sandler) 55:32

2M ago55:32

55:32

For decades, the Soviet Union was unfriendly territory for poets and writers. But what happened when the wall fell? Emerging from the underground, the poets reacted with a creative outpouring that responded to a brave new world. In this episode, Jacke talks to Russian poetry scholar Stephanie Sandler about her new book The Freest Speech in Russia: …

1
E27 - Robin Dunbar – The Science of Male Friendship & Why Men Need a Tribe 1:00:48

2M ago1:00:48

1:00:48

Why do so many men lose friendships in midlife? And what does science say about the impact of social isolation on male health and well-being? In this episode of The Privileged Man Podcast, host Pete Hunt sits down with renowned evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar to explore the biological and social foundations of male friendship. Dunbar, a lead…

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685 Charles Chesnutt (with Tess Chakkalakal) | My Last Book with John Goodby 1:01:41

2M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

Complex and talented, Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was one of the first American authors to write for both Black and white readers. Born in Cleveland to "mixed race" parents, Chesnutt rejected the opportunity to "pass" as white, instead remaining in the Black community throughout his life. His life in the South during Reconstruction, and his kno…

1
More... Lies with Roman Stengelin 16:23

2M ago16:23

16:23

Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Lies with Roman Stengelin. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

1
6. Why do we lie? 14:52

2M ago14:52

14:52

Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do we lie?You might think that deception is a uniquely human characteristic, but does camouflage or mimicry in nature, where animals pretend to be another animal or the actual environment like the insects leaf-mimic katydids that walk around looking like a leaf. Does that count as lying? Or is it just us humans with our hig…

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684 The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne (with Mike Palindrome) 1:29:36

3M ago1:29:36

1:29:36

What happens when a respected church leader shows up one day wearing a mysterious veil that conceals his eyes, offering no explanation - and keeps wearing it for decades? How will the community respond? What conspiracy theories will they develop? And how will an author like Nathaniel Hawthorne, writing a hundred years later, spin a New England sin-…

1
683 Marianne Moore (with Cristanne Miller) 1:12:13

3M ago1:12:13

1:12:13

Marianne Moore (1887-1972) achieved something rare in American letters: a modernist poet who was popular with both critics and the public. Famous for her formal innovation, precise diction, and wit - as well as her black tri-corner hat and cloak, which she wore as she dashed around Manhattan - she was lauded by T.S. Eliot (and numerous prize commit…

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More... Laughs with Sophie Scott 16:53

3M ago16:53

16:53

BONUS: Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Laughs with Sophie Scott. BBC Studios AudioProducer: Olivia JaniAdditional Production: Emily BirdSeries Producer: Geraldine FitzgeraldExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemBy BBC Radio 4

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5. Why do we laugh? 14:42

3M ago14:42

14:42

Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do we laugh? Some people might not have a sense of humour, you might even know someone who never laughs… but there isn’t a culture out there, say a tribe, where people just never laugh. It does appear to be universal but how universal and how primal? Many mammals and the great apes ( chimpanzees, gorillas and bononbos) laug…

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682 The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (with Farah Jasmine Griffin) [Ad-Free Re-Release] 58:55

3M ago58:55

58:55

As America closes out this year's Black History Month, Jacke dives into the archives for one of his favorite episodes, which featured a conversation with Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin about her book Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature. PLUS friend of the show Scott Carter stops by to tal…

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Robin Dunbar Podcasts

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