#409 Gordon Gallup: Orgasm, Sperm Competition, Mating Strategies, Self-Recognition, and Religion
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 14th 2020.
Dr. Gordon Gallup is Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Albany. He is best known for developing the mirror test, also called the mirror self-recognition test, or MSR, in 1970, which gauges self-awareness of animals. He also studied tonic immobility, or “animal hypnosis,“. His later work on animal behavior focused on ethological approaches to the study of animal behavior under laboratory conditions. Since the 1990s, Dr. Gallup has researched human evolutionary psychology exclusively.
In this episode, we focus on evolutionary psychology. We talk about the evolution of orgasm in males and females, and the functions that it serves, sperm competition, intra-copulatory competition, the sedative and antidepressant properties of semen. We also tackle paternity uncertainty, and the mating strategies that men and women resort to, particularly applied to mate guarding and infidelity. Then we discuss self-recognition and self-awareness in humans and other animals. Finally, we talk about what is a mind (and if other species have minds), tonic immobility, and religion.
Time Links:
The evolution of orgasm
Sperm competition, paternity uncertainty, and mate guarding tactics
Reducing paternity uncertainty with facial resemblance
The sedative and antidepressant properties of sperm
Self-recognition and self-awareness in humans and other species
Tonic immobility
Religion and culture
Follow Dr. Gallup’s work!
Follow Dr. Gallup’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/2GQ9Mo5
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/315Qulk