Why Do We Do That? An anthropologist's guide to the modern world.There are lots of everyday things which, when you think about them, are pretty weird. Like kiss...
Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Lies with Roman Stengelin.BBC Studios Audio
Producer: Olivia Jani
Additional Production: Emily Bird
Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
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16:23
6. Why do we lie?
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 highly complex language that have the ability to tell a fib. Ella talks to Dr Roman Stengelin of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, who investigates children from very different cultures to discover when and how they develop this very human ability and professional poker player Liv Boeree to discover the art of bluffing.BBC Studios
Produced by Emily Bird
Additional production Olivia Jani and Ben Hughes
Series Producer Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer Alexandra Feachem
Commissioning Editor Rhian Roberts
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14:52
More... Laughs with Sophie Scott
BONUS: Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Laughs with Sophie Scott.BBC Studios Audio
Producer: Olivia Jani
Additional Production: Emily Bird
Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
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16:53
5. Why do we laugh?
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) laugh. Orangutans diverged from the other great apes including us about 12 million years ago and because we all laugh that suggests our shared common ancestor laughed. So what is the purpose of laughing? Ella talks to Professor Sophie Scott from University College London and stand-up comic Ria Lina.
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14:42
More... Dogs with Greger Larson
BONUS: Ella Al-Shamahi explores evolutionary mysteries in More Dogs with Greger Larson.BBC Studios Audio
Producer: Olivia Jani
Additional Production: Emily Bird
Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Why Do We Do That? An anthropologist's guide to the modern world.There are lots of everyday things which, when you think about them, are pretty weird. Like kissing, doomscrolling and sitting down to go to the loo. Social media may tell you to blame the latest influencer who went viral. Your therapist might tell you to blame your parents. But palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi is here to tell you to blame your great, great, great, great, great, etc. grandparents. For some stuff at least. In this series, Ella is joined by some wonderful guests to dive into the cultural, historical and evolutionary story of everyday human habits and behaviour.Photo: Sarah Cresswell / The Times / News Licensing
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