Love, hate, embarrassment, every emotion has an evolutionary job. This psychologist identified all 74 and their survival functions. Evolutionary psychologist Dr. Rob Kurzban reveals the hidden evolutionary reasons behind our 74 distinct emotions (from love and hate to embarrassment and cuteness aggression) and explains why understanding human emotions is more critical than ever in the age of AI.

Dr. Kurzban is a leading researcher in evolutionary psychology who studied under field pioneers John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, specializing in the adaptive functions of human social behavior.

Subscribe for more deep conversations on psychology, philosophy, and human nature.

00:00 Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology and Emotions

00:17 Surprising Discoveries in Emotional Research

01:22 The Complexity of Love and Strategic Ignorance

02:32 Memory, Reputation, and Strategic Amnesia

04:50 Obscure Feelings and Their Evolutionary Roles

07:25 Pain, Embarrassment, and Evolutionary Signals

11:28 Feelings in Adulthood vs. Childhood

14:26 Intense Emotions: Parental Love, Hate, and Coalitional Comradery

17:03 The Evolutionary Purpose of Hate

22:14 Modular Brain Systems and Competing Emotions

34:54 The Role of Optimism in Youth

35:17 The Complexity of Wisdom

36:38 Children's Books and Morality

38:54 Signaling Moral Virtue

42:24 Cultural Rules and Their Impact

47:33 The Evolution of American Rules

52:19 Hypocrisy and Moral Judgment

01:02:05 Changing Beliefs and Scientific Dogma

01:11:48 The Role of Science in Human Progress

01:12:34 AI and the Future of Objectivity

01:13:28 The Evolution of AI: From Language Models to World Models

01:15:38 AI's Impact on Human Behavior and Society

01:18:08 The Future of Jobs in an AI-Driven World

01:21:08 Human Creativity vs. AI Capabilities

01:25:29 The Role of Envy and Gratitude in Human Motivation

01:30:59 Historical Parallels and Lessons from the Industrial Revolution

01:45:09 The Importance of Legal Frameworks in Society

01:46:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

RESOURCES / LINKS

Rob’s Work:

Substack:

https://thelivingfossils.substack.com

"Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind" - Available at:

http://www.robkurzban.com/books/why-everyone-else-is-a-hypocrite

"The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind: How Self-Interest Shapes Our Opinions and Why We Won't Admit It" (Co-authored with Jason Weeden) -

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21981657-the-hidden-agenda-of-the-political-mind

Jacob’s Work

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385

FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp5S7ZIZtjA8PMgXJMwppA

TikTok relationship advice is destroying your dating life.. Christian Brewster (writer, culture commentator, and creator of the Substack publication ~interrupted~) breaks down why social media platforms are the worst place to get relationship guidance and what you should do instead.

We expose the engagement-driven trap of TikTok dating coaches, explore why real-life connections matter more than algorithmic advice, and discuss how to build genuine social skills in the digital age.

Subscribe for more conversations on culture, relationships, and meaningful human connection

Expect to learn:

-Why TikTok relationship advice is designed for engagement, not your success—and how superficial content prioritizes clicks over genuine guidance

-How to get better relationship advice from people who actually know you instead of strangers on social media

-Why meeting partners in real life builds stronger connections than dating apps and digital platforms

-The truth about social skills in the digital age and how to develop genuine conversation abilities

-How friendship dynamics change in adulthood and what to do when your social circle evolves

-Why loneliness and social media consumption are connected and how to break the cycle

-How to gradually detox from social media without going cold turkey

-The creative process behind writing for Substack and balancing content creation with consumption

-Why negative emotions fuel better writing and how to channel difficult feelings into creative work

-Tom Cruise's cultural impact and what his career reveals about modern celebrity

-Tips for growing your Substack audience and developing a consistent writing practice

00:00 Why TikTok Relationship Advice is Problematic

00:56 The Engagement Trap of Social Media Influencers

04:16 The Value of Personal Connections for Relationship Advice

07:12 Analog vs. Digital: Meeting Partners in Real Life

14:18 The Art of Conversation and Social Skills

18:37 Navigating Friendship Changes in Adulthood

28:54 The Impact of Loneliness and Social Media

43:21 Gradual Social Media Detox

43:36 Balancing Creation and Consumption

44:01 Navigating Negative Emotions in Writing

47:02 Finding Inspiration for Substack Posts

51:02 The Influence of Music on Writing

56:00 The Fascination with Tom Cruise

01:02:38 Embracing Negative Emotions

01:10:47 Tips for Growing on Substack

01:21:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

RESOURCES / LINKS

Christian Brewster's Substack:

https://christianbrewster.substack.com

Team

Chief Editor: Chloe Breheret

Chief Automation Officer: Jack McDuff

Jacob’s Work

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385 https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com

“I hit zero twice as an entrepreneur. The second time hurt worse than the first. Here's what nobody warned me about going broke in business.”

Kevin Fedor hit zero twice as an entrepreneur and lived to expose the unsexy truth about going broke in business that success stories conveniently skip. As a marketing expert who rebuilt from nothing multiple times, Kevin reveals why entrepreneurship's dark side isn't about glory, it's about surviving months at zero with nobody watching. Subscribe to hear the raw reality of entrepreneurship from someone who's been broke twice and came back stronger.

You’ll learn:

-Why hitting zero twice as an entrepreneur is more common than you think and what it teaches you about resilience

-The unsexy daily reality of entrepreneurship that looks identical to a 9-5 job but with zero safety net

-How to build your own light when entrepreneurship leaves you running in complete darkness

-Why autonomy matters more than money when choosing entrepreneurship over traditional careers

-The self-awareness test every aspiring entrepreneur must pass before quitting their job

-How to optimize for your North Star instead of chasing someone else's definition of success

-What really happens when you go months at zero income as a business owner

-Why future-proofing your lifestyle goals should drive your entrepreneurial decisions today

Have you ever experienced hitting zero in your entrepreneurial journey, or are you afraid of it happening? Share your story or biggest fear about going broke in business below.

00:00 The Journey Begins: Early Entrepreneurial Influences

00:33 First Internship: Planting the Seed of Entrepreneurship

01:54 The Birth of a Sports Podcast

04:30 Building Follow Spike: The Early Struggles

06:21 The Long Road to the First Dollar

07:46 The Importance of Consistency and Inputs

15:34 Finding Value Beyond Financial Success

22:12 Discovering Your North Star

32:38 The Value of Passion and Validation

32:52 Is University Necessary for Success?

33:32 Challenging Traditional Education

37:14 The Reality of Entrepreneurship

39:30 The Importance of Self-Awareness

44:14 Balancing Career and Personal Goals

52:44 The Unseen Side of Entrepreneurship

56:44 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

01:00:24 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

BEST QUOTES

“Somebody just quit”

"You're basically running in the dark not knowing if there's gonna be light eventually. That's entrepreneurship."

"I had the whole 'somebody just quit' mentality and spent months at zero. It happens."

"If you can build your own light, you already win."

"You're doing the right thing. Just keep doing it. You're in a room of one and that's okay."

#EntrepreneurshipReality #GoingBroke #StartupFailure

Kevin’s Work

Connect with Kevin Fedor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-fedor/

Jacob’s Work

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385

Nazi drug use wasn’t just “a detail”. It shaped Blitzkrieg speed, soldier psychology, Hitler’s inner circle and the Führer himself.

Nazi drug use shaped WWII in ways most people still don’t realize, and Norman Ohler, bestselling author of Blitzed and Tripped, joins me to expose how Pervitin, opioids, and ideology collided inside the Third Reich to create a regime, strategy (Blitzkrieg) and war never seen before in history.

What part of Nazi drug use do you think most changes how people understand WWII? Pervitin on the front lines, or Hitler’s dependency behind closed doors?

You’ll learn:

-How Pervitin (methamphetamine) went from legal pharmacy product to a wartime performance tool. -Why “mainstream” WWII history often sidelined drugs as a serious factor in power, strategy, and behavior. -The story behind Germany’s stimulant pipeline and why sleep was framed as “the number one enemy of a soldier.” -What “35 million dosages” tells us about scale, normalization, and the machinery of war. -How Pervitin changed fear, motivation, empathy, and decision-making for soldiers in combat.

-Hitler’s medical descent with Dr. Morell: from “vitamins” to opioids, and later even cocaine as a legal product at the time. -The darker edge: drug testing and experimentation connected to concentration camps, including “truth drug” research. -A wider drug lens: psychedelics’ historical role, why the Nazi era “was not really a psychedelic time,” and what Ohler is exploring now. 00:00 Unveiling the Hidden Drug Secrets of WWII

01:01 Inspiration Behind the Book

03:20 The Rise of Pervitin in Nazi Germany

06:39 Methamphetamine's Role in the Blitzkrieg

08:30 The Ethical Dilemma of Drug Use in War

10:01 The Impact of Meth on Soldiers

24:51 Hitler's Descent into Drug Dependency

31:01 The Nazis and Psychedelics

32:36 Psychedelics in WWII: Limited Use and Rediscovery

34:10 Nazi Experiments: Miracle Drugs and Submarine Missions

37:16 Concentration Camp Atrocities: Beyond Drugs

38:55 Human Nature and Atrocities: A Broader Perspective

43:09 Psychedelics and Egalitarian Societies in History

52:22 Iboga: The Potent African Plant

55:08 Advice on Psychedelics and Personal Reflections

57:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Norman Ohler – Stone(d) Sapiens Substack:

https://stonedsapiens.substack.com

The Norman Ohler Dopecast & Substack

https://stonedsapiens.substack.com/podcast

Blitzed (Penguin UK):

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/294543/blitzed-by-ohler-norman/9780141983165

Tripped (Atlantic Books UK):

https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/tripped/

Jacob’s Work

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385 Website: https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com

Team

Chief Editor: Chloe Breheret

Chief Automation Officer: Jack McDuff

Sting & The Police went from playing to 6 people on his first American performance (broke, on welfare, with a wife and baby) to selling out stadiums with The Police and selling 100 million records worldwide. This deep dive into Sting's biography reveals the brutal years of rejection between obscurity and stardom that nobody talks about, decoded from his memoir Broken Music.

Subscribe for more breakdowns on how icons escape their limitations and build legendary careers.

Expect to learn:

-How Sting escaped a working-class trap in Newcastle and broke the cycle of generational regret

-Why obsession and volume beat talent alone: the forensic practice method Sting used to decode Beatles songs

-The truth about overnight success: the humiliating rejections and 10+ years of grinding before The Police broke through

-How Roxanne became a classic after almost being rejected by the band's manager

-Why Sting left The Police at their peak and what drove his need to keep escaping

-The father-wound pattern that fuels most male outliers: and how Sting channeled it into 100 million+ records sold

-What separates artists who quit from those who make it: Sting's "don't stop" mentality through welfare, empty clubs, and doubt

-The escape code Sting discovered: how your obsession is data telling you how to get out

00:00 The Humble Beginnings of Sting

01:28 The Trap and the Escape Code

02:25 The Drive to Prove Himself

03:22 The Obsession with Music

05:01 The Grind and Humiliation

07:57 The Turning Point: Meeting Stewart Copeland

08:48 Roxanne and the Breakthrough

10:32 The Rise and Fall of The Police

11:07 Lessons from Sting's Journey

12:22 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Sting's Memoir Broken Music (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3Nnc4g7

What's YOUR "this is how you escape" moment? What obsession keeps pulling you back even when it doesn't make logical sense? Drop your escape code in the comments. I’m rooting for you. 👇

Best Bits:

"There's something in the driven and compulsive nature of this obsession that's unusual, something in the unconscious saying, this is how you escape. This is how you escape. his how you escape.”

"I will travel the world, be the head of a large family. I'll own a big house in the country. I will be wealthy and I will be famous." [He achieved all of them]

"We'll play with equal passion to six people or 600. Driving ourselves thousands of sleepless miles, loading and unloading our gear...we were the dogs of war and nothing could stop us."

"In my quest to become unique, I have become a statistic."

"Success and failure are on the same road. You just have to keep going.”

"It's just that nothing else I ever did was going to work. I was merely treading water."

#Sting #ThePolice #MusicBiography

Vagabonding isn’t “quitting life”, it’s a practical long-term travel mindset for anyone who wants more freedom, less fear, and more time-rich living.

Rolf Potts is a travel writer and bestselling author of Vagabonding (the modern classic on extended travel).

What’s the biggest thing keeping you from long-term travel right now: money, fear, responsibility, or simply not giving yourself permission?

Subscribe for more long-form conversations on travel, purpose, and designing a life you actually want.

Expect to learn:

–How to give yourself “permission” to travel (even if no one in your life gets it).

–Why “time is the truest form of wealth” and how travel makes that real.

–How to travel longer on less money by stepping outside the tourist bubble and into local rhythms.

–Why slow travel beats rushed itineraries (and how it unlocks better deals + better stories).

–Smartphone independence: simple ways to protect presence, serendipity, and real-world connection on the road.

–Why “know your options, not your destiny” is the best planning rule for long-term travel.

–How routines (gym, journaling, quests) can make travel deeper not boring.

–Travel as pilgrimage: how walking (in cities or nature) can reset attention and reduce anxiety.

00:00 Introduction to Solo Traveling

00:12 First Vagabonding Journey

01:37 Motivations and Realizations

02:28 Impact of Early Travels

03:45 Long-Term Travel Lifestyle

05:19 Writing Vagabonding

06:19 Travel Philosophy and Advice

11:42 Funding Early Travels

13:22 Experiencing Local Economies

17:33 Slow Travel and Serendipity

23:42 Challenges of Modern Travel

30:21 Off the Beaten Path

36:30 Embracing the Unexpected in Travel

37:24 Challenging Journeys and Personal Growth

39:16 Adventures on the Mekong River

42:26 The Joys of Youthful Exploration

44:21 Balancing Routine and Adventure

53:20 Spiritual Reflections and Nature's Wisdom

01:02:42 Final Thoughts and Advice for Young Travelers

01:05:37 Start Your Own Podcast

Rolf’s Work: Rolf Potts (official site): https://rolfpotts.com Vagabonding (book page): https://rolfpotts.com/books/vagabonding/ Paris Writing Workshops (Rolf’s Paris workshops info): https://rolfpotts.com/about/paris-writing-workshop/ Paris Writing Workshops (main site): https://pariswritingworkshops.com Vagabonding (official book site): https://vagabonding.net

Jacob’s Work

FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp5S7ZIZtjA8PMgXJMwppA

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385

Website: https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com

Harvard Physicist Avi Loeb reveals why Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox & NASA gets the 3I/ATLAS alien theory wrong and exposes the "echo chamber" problem in modern science. As the head of the Galileo Project, Loeb argues we must stop listening to "commentators" and start searching for technological signatures before it’s too late.

00:00 Neil deGrasse Tyson's Misconception

01:22 Einstein's Major Mistakes

03:26 The Humility of Science

04:10 Challenges in Modern Physics

08:04 Encouraging Innovation in Academia

16:49 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

23:22 The Importance of Independent Thought

38:50 The Importance of Technological Signatures

39:41 The Limitations of Human Imagination

41:38 The Unknown Unknowns in Science

43:49 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

45:11 The Role of Private Space Industry

48:10 The Case of 3I/ATLAS

50:39 The Need for a New Approach in Astronomy

54:40 The Potential of Interstellar Objects

57:34 The Future of Space Exploration

01:12:12 The Cost of Space Archaeology

01:23:16 The Impact of Extraterrestrial Contact

01:26:37 The Limitations of Viewing God as a Parent

01:27:28 The Power of Optimism in Life and Relationships

01:29:04 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

01:30:58 The Big Bang and the Creation of the Universe

01:35:39 Mars Colonization and Space Habitats

01:39:25 The Future of Space Propulsion

01:46:26 The Risks and Rewards of AI

01:56:42 The Importance of Youthful Curiosity

01:57:30 Belief in a Higher Being and the Quest for Immortality

02:02:19 Closing Thoughts and Future Endeavors

Avi Loeb’s Work:

-Avi Loeb’s Medium: ⁠avi-loeb.medium.com⁠

-Avi’s Book "Extraterrestrial": ⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extraterrestrial-Search-Intelligent-Beyond-Earth-ebook/dp/B087N7D3YZ?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1⁠

Jacob’s Work

Website: ⁠https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com⁠

Rejection therapy is the fastest way to build real confidence and Gregory Russell Benedikt explains how “terrified action” can break your fear, self-doubt, and people-pleasing for good better than anyone.

Gregory Russell Benedikt is a TEDx sensation (“How Being Bold Will Change Your Life”) and life coach helping people live a story worth telling.

Subscribe for more long-form interviews on psychology, self-improvement, and the habits that change your life.

00:00 Rejection therapy: the most painful rejection and why it still shapes us

03:20 The “mask”: why fitting in kills confidence (and how to drop it)

07:27 Finance burnout: quitting with no plan when fear is smaller than staying stuck

07:27 End-of-life regret: the quote that forced the identity change

17:47 “Just start”: lowering friction to launch your podcast/creative project

40:14 Consistency when success is invisible (this is what hard feels like)

44:36 Courage defined: terrified action and the 5-second rule

50:35 The 100-day rejection challenge: swimming pool story + rejection reps

53:43 Live a story worth telling: commitment devices, community, and momentum

01:05:55 How the TEDx talk changed his life (and why it changes slower than you expect)

01:01:11 The best self-improvement questions: ideal day + “what costs am I willing to pay?”

FREE Podcast Tips (2nd Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp5S7ZIZtjA8PMgXJMwppA

Podcast blueprint (Skool): https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385

Gregory’s Work:

Gregory’s website (coaching): https://gregoryrussellbenedikt.com/

Gregory on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryrussellbenedikt

Gregory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryrussellbenedikt/

Gregory’s TEDx talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezygvBTXeeQ

Jacob’s Work YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowland Website: https://www.jacobjwatsonhowland.com