David W Lawson
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davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson
@davidwlawson.bsky.social
1.5K followers 190 following 74 posts

Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara
Applied Evolutionary Anthropology Lab 🌍🌏🌎
Human Behavioral Ecology
Global Health, Family, Gender Norms 🏳️‍🌈
aea-lab.com

Videos
Psychology 35%
Medicine 15%
Posts Replies Media Videos

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 6d
This really is a wonderful listen! Shared with all my students this week.

@bscelza.bsky.social speaks so eloquently about, not only her trailblazing work, but the merits of human behavioral ecology and the challenges faced by evolutionary social scientists tackling sex and gender.

Check it out!

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, David W. Lawson, Hansraj Gautam

jbeehner.bsky.social
Jacinta Beehner @jbeehner.bsky.social · 6d
Not all sexual swellings signal fertility. Some signal strategy. In our new Current Biology paper, we show how gelada females “fake it” during male takeovers—and why it works.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m7%7E93QW...

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Rebecca Sear, David W. Lawson

ruthmace.bsky.social
Ruth Mace @ruthmace.bsky.social · 6d
'The manosphere’s enthusiasm for evolution goes beyond appropriation and selective interpretation of existing research' New paper by LouisBachaud et al | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core - www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
A hundred and two just-so stories: exploring the lay evolutionary hypotheses of the manosphere | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
A hundred and two just-so stories: exploring the lay evolutionary hypotheses of the manosphere - Volume 7
www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Elena Litchman, Joshua S. Weitz , and 2 more

volcanojw.bsky.social
Dr. Jennifer Wade @volcanojw.bsky.social · 7d
Science People: We at NSF are still recovering/catching up/getting our lives together. But the agency posted these FAQs about post-shutdown resumption of operations which might answer a lot of Qs for you: www.nsf.gov/resumption-o...
Resumption of Operations at NSF
Information for NSF staff and the research community regarding the agency's resumption of operations after a lapse in appropriations.
www.nsf.gov

Reposted by David W. Lawson

epthepod.bsky.social
Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast) @epthepod.bsky.social · 7d
This week we talk to @bscelza.bsky.social about Polygamy and the state of the evolutionary behavioral sciences.

youtu.be/F2rz-vuczX0
www.podbean.com/eas/pb-9i7eb...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Polygamy with Brooke Scelza
YouTube video by Evolutionary Psychology (The Podcast)
youtu.be

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Rebecca Sear, David W. Lawson

gillianrbrown1.bsky.social
Prof. Gillian Brown @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social · 8d
Shuster et al (2025) on the gendering of plant reproduction processes: "The durability of gender stereotypes in describing plant reproduction reflects deeper tensions in the communication of information by the scientific community." 🧪

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Plant Sex: A Cultural Analysis of the Gendering of Plant Reproduction Processes | Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society: Vol 50, No 3
Abstract Scholarship from feminist science, knowledge, and technology (FSTS) studies consistently demonstrates how the production of knowledge about biological processes depends upon gender stereotype...
www.journals.uchicago.edu

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca Sear, Graeme Warren , and 1 more

dstibbardhawkes.bsky.social
Duncan Stibbard Hawkes @dstibbardhawkes.bsky.social · 8d
📣 New BBS preprint out now! 📣

"Models casting egalitarian societies as crucibles of equality perpetuate the factually uninformed notion that foragers are somehow more noble. Critiques portray egalitarianism as romantic fantasy. Neither characterization is wholly justified."

doi.org/10.1017/S014...
Egalitarianism is not Equality: Moving from outcome to process in the study of human political organisation | Behavioral and Brain Sciences | Cambridge Core
Egalitarianism is not Equality: Moving from outcome to process in the study of human political organisation
doi.org

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, David W. Lawson

woodbrian.bsky.social
Brian Wood @woodbrian.bsky.social · 8d
In 2008, after killing many of their neighbors, Ngogo chimpanzees expanded their territory. Female fertility then doubled, and infant mortality plummeted. Adaptive violence in our ape cousins, documented in this new paper. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
Female fertility and infant survivorship increase following lethal intergroup aggression and territorial expansion in wild chimpanzees | PNAS
Lethal coalitionary intergroup aggression is a conspicuous aspect of wild chimpanzee behavior. Evidence indicates that such violence can lead to te...
www.pnas.org

Reposted by Hugo Mercier, Brian Keegan, David W. Lawson

alexwild.bsky.social
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 8d
This is such a cool study. A parasitic ant queen tricks worker ants into murdering their own queen, so the parasite can take over the colony.
This parasitic ant tricks workers into committing matricide
Newly mated parasitic queen ants invade colonies and spray their victims with a chemical irritant that provokes the workers to kill their mother.
www.sciencenews.org

Reposted by David W. Lawson

iussp.bsky.social
IUSSP @iussp.bsky.social · 8d
N-IUSSP: The kinship gap. When just a few years of difference make a difference

www.niussp.org/fertility-an...

#demography
#populationstudies
The kinship gap. When just a few years of difference make a difference - N-IUSSP
Rapid decline in a country’s birth and death rates creates a “kinship gap”, leaving people born just years apart with vastly different family support networks. Sha Jiang discusses the ensuing ... Read...
www.niussp.org

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, David W. Lawson

rebeccasear.bsky.social
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 9d
Brunel's press release about our (@hggaddy.bsky.social @anthrolog.bsky.social) recent publication, showing that high levels of polygyny don't necessarily lock men out of the marriage market

www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
Data questions myths about multiple wife marriages, men and violence
A new study analyzing 84 million census records reveals that polygyny does not increase the number of unmarried men. In many societies where polygyny is common, men are actually more likely to be marr...
www.brunel.ac.uk

Reposted by Hugo Mercier, Nathan Nunn, Rebecca Sear , and 2 more

zhgarfield.com
Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 10d
The submission deadline for #CESRabat has been extended to 30 November

@ces2026.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social
ces2026.bsky.social ces2026 @ces2026.bsky.social · 15d
👉 A reminder that the deadline for submitting your abstract to the CES 2026 #CESRabat is the 16th of November.

🔗Submit here: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026

We look forward to seeing you in Rabat!
ces2026.bsky.social ces2026 @ces2026.bsky.social · Sep 19
We’re delighted to share that the CES2026 Conference website is now live!

We warmly invite researchers, scholars, and practitioners to submit their presentation proposals by November 16th through the submission portal on the website.

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Rebecca Sear

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 11d
Together, our findings demonstrate that men supporting women’s empowerment face heavy costs - but norms are mutable.

Policies that reduce structural barriers, address stigma around gender atypical behavior, and leverage emerging benefits can help accelerate gender-equitable change. 🎯 5/5

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 11d
But there is good news, urbanization is creating novel incentives for men to increase support for women - including economic returns to women's work, and conforming to preferences of a new generation of young women... 4/5

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 11d
Moreover, they face accusations about their sexual orientation (i.e. folks think they are gay) and virility, and are predicted to have unstable marriages with few children... 3/5

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 11d
We find that "supportive men" risk substantial reputational damage, social exclusion and even physical violence... 2/5

Reposted by Caroline Krafft, Rebecca Sear

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 11d
🚨 🐍 Our new paper on the consequences men face when countering patriarchal norms in rural Tanzania 🐍.🚨

We carried out focus groups and detailed interviews with a whopping 172 women and men about their perceptions of men who support women's empowerment... 📝 1/5
“A snake with no teeth”: Urbanization shifts perceptions of men who support women’s empowerment in Northwestern Tanzania
Achieving gender equality requires the support of all genders, but efforts to engage men in women’s empowerment initiatives have been fraught with res…
www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Rebecca Sear, Paul E. Smaldino , and 2 more

alexmesoudi.com
Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 11d
Come and do a PhD at Exeter with me and Chico Camargo (Computer Science) on human-genAI coevolution

"Leveraging Natural Language Processing for Data-Driven Agent-Based Modelling of Online Cultural Dynamics"

www.exeter.ac.uk/v8media/recr...

More details here:
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
www.exeter.ac.uk

Reposted by Philip N. Cohen, David W. Lawson

rebeccasear.bsky.social
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 13d
The influence of race science is spreading in the evolutionary behavioural sciences. This new paper means members of a race science network have now been published in Evolutionary Psychological Science, Evolutionary Behavioral Science, Evolutionary Psychology & Adaptive Human Behavior & Physiology
Screenshot of a paper published in Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology Testing the Late Pleistocene Arctic Origins of East Asian Psychology using Ancient and Modern DNA Published: 04 November 2025 Volume 11, article number 18, (2025) Davide Piffer

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi, David W. Lawson

ces2026.bsky.social
ces2026 @ces2026.bsky.social · 15d
👉 A reminder that the deadline for submitting your abstract to the CES 2026 #CESRabat is the 16th of November.

🔗Submit here: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026

We look forward to seeing you in Rabat!
ces2026.bsky.social ces2026 @ces2026.bsky.social · Sep 19
We’re delighted to share that the CES2026 Conference website is now live!

We warmly invite researchers, scholars, and practitioners to submit their presentation proposals by November 16th through the submission portal on the website.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca Sear, David W. Lawson

stairwaytokevin.bsky.social
Kevin Bird @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social · 16d
Evolutionary psychology makes a big to-do about their finding that sexual selection favors a "feminine body type" that "signals fertility/reproductive potential", including some rather... silly research. Turns out, those traits don't seem to signal reproductive success. Oops! doi.org/10.1017/ehs....

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Katharine Hayhoe, Colin F. Camerer , and 14 more

katemessner.com
Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 16d
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com

Reposted by Nathan Nunn, David W. Lawson

princetonupress.bsky.social
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 20d
Tomorrow (Nov 6) at 6:00 pm PST, join Chaucer's Books in hosting @mgurven.bsky.social, author of Seven Decades, for a talk and a signing! Come explore the unique evolutionary path that led to human longevity and challenge how we think about aging.

Learn about this in-person event: buff.ly/tKzGDn1
Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer by Michael D. Gurven Michael D. Gurven

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca Sear , and 5 more

ericbschneider.bsky.social
Eric Schneider @ericbschneider.bsky.social · 20d
Curious about using census microdata in your research? 📊

Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.

🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...

Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Register for IPUMs International Online Session
Please use this form to register for the IPUMs International Session hosted by the Historical Economic Demography Group at LSE. The session will be on Zoom from 15:15-16:30 UK Time on 12 November 202...
forms.gle

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 21d
Prepping a lecture on paternal care and revisiting this brilliant 2024 article by Brooke Scelza.

Such a good demonstration of the value of an anthropological lens when thinking about the evolution of human family life.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
The cuckoldry conundrum
Concerns about cuckoldry are a dominant theme in evolutionary studies of mating, frequently used to explain sex differences in reproductive strategies. However, studies in nonhuman species have shown...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, David W. Lawson

rebeccasear.bsky.social
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 22d
"Simplistic stories about the dangers of polygyny can be compelling but they risk misleading the public, reinforcing notions of Western cultural superiority & disrupting global health policy by sidelining pertinent initiatives. Building healthier societies necessitates paying attention to evidence"

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 26d
Congratulations to the now Dr Joseph Kilgallen 🧑‍🎓🥂 - who give a wonderful defense talk yesterday! So proud of what he has achieved over the last 6 years - and excited for what is to come! Woo-hoo!

davidwlawson.bsky.social
David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · 27d
Today!
davidwlawson.bsky.social David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · Oct 23
⭐️ Negotiating Masculinity in a Changing World ⭐️

Grad student - and soon to be doctor - Joseph Kilgallen will be giving a public talk on his thesis on Wed Oct 29th 9am (California time).

Join us in person or on zoom (dm me and I’ll send you a link!). All welcome!

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Ruth Mace, Rebecca Sear , and 1 more

ehbea2026.bsky.social
EHBEA 2026 @ehbea2026.bsky.social · 28d
Leiden looking good today ;-)
📢 Abstract submission will be open Nov 1st – Dec 15th for EHBEA 2026
⚡Present your research, connect & collaborate 14-17 April
📝 300 words (extendable to 800 after acceptance)
For more information & our full call for abstracts, check www.ehbea2026.com
EHBEA 2026 in Leiden - abstract submission opens soon!

Reposted by David W. Lawson

anniewertz.bsky.social
Annie Wertz @anniewertz.bsky.social · 29d
I’m recruiting #PhD students to join my Lab for Infant Learning and Cognition (LILAC) at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social! We study how infants learn about the natural world from others 🌱 If you’re interested in #devpsych, #EvPsych, and #infantstudies, please reach out and apply! More info below (1/2)