206. The Evolution of Human Exercise feat. Daniel Lieberman

unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

If exercise is so healthy, then why do many people dislike or avoid it? So much of our modern lives is sedentary, it’s more important than ever to get our bodies up and be active.

Daniel Lieberman is a Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University. He is also a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.

At Harvard, he teaches a variety of courses on human evolution, anatomy, and physiology, and has published several books including “The Evolution of the Human Head,” “The Story of the Human Body,” and “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding.”

Daniel and Greg talk all about moving our human bodies today, including the evolution of running in humans, transitioning to the modern industrial world and its effects on us, and speed versus endurance.

Episode Quotes:

Developing lifelong habits through physical education

48:29: We need to look outside the medical system to make these kinds of shifts. And it's a public health issue.

It's really a political issue. It's an educational issue. It's a social issue. It's a corporate issue. And I think one of the places to focus on is schools, right? Because we also know that a lot of the habits people develop in college are the ones they keep for the rest of their life. And that's one of the reasons why universities, like mine and yours, really are doing an enormous disservice to their students by not promoting more physical education, because they're also missing out on this important window to help people develop lifelong habits.

We evolve to be physically active for two reasons

09:51: We evolve to be physically active for two reasons and two reasons only: one, it's necessary, and one, it's rewarding.

How sports and play teaches human not to be reactively aggressive

32:29: I think that one of the ways in which humans have evolved play and sport is to help teach skills for hunting and fighting and all the other things that are really important. Cause that's obviously a key element in playing in sports, but also to help teach humans not to be reactively aggressive.

Show Links:

Recommended Resources:

• Gerontologist at Stanford, James Fries - The extension of morbidity.
• The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined By Steven Pinker
• Dr. Richard W. Wrangham

Guest Profile:

• Professional Profile on Harvard University

His Work:

• Daniel Lieberman on Google Scholar
• Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding
• The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease
• The Evolution of the Human Head