Evolutionary psychologist Mark van Vugt from VU Amsterdam and war correspondent Hans Jaap Melissen discuss the role of violence in our existence in the BNR podcast series ‘De duistere kant van de mens’ (the dark side of humanity). The series will be available from 13 February.
Why do 85 to 90 per cent of people experience homicidal urges at some point? Why do wars attract certain individuals? And how do evolutionary mechanisms explain abuse of power and gender inequality?
These are some of the questions that Mark van Vugt, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and Organisational Psychology at VU Amsterdam, explores with war journalist Hans Jaap Melissen in the new BNR podcast series ‘De duistere kant van de mens’. In this series, Melissen and Van Vugt invite experts, perpetrators, and victims to uncover the deep-rooted drives behind violence, abuse of power, deception, and other dark aspects of human behaviour.
"Each episode focuses on a different aspect of humanity’s darker sides," says Van Vugt. "For instance, murder fantasies, the allure of war, misogyny and incels, and power abuse in business and politics."
"We really want to believe that most people are inherently good, but that narrative doesn’t quite hold up," says Van Vugt. "With this podcast, we shed light on the darker sides of human nature and share recent scientific insights on aggression, violence, power abuse, and psychopathy. This is crucial in these uncertain and dangerous times in history."
Mark van Vugt is a professor of evolutionary psychology, work, and organisational psychology at VU Amsterdam. He has written several books, including Lucy, Darwin & Lady Gaga, FC Sapiens, Mismatch, and De natuurlijke leider. Hans Jaap Melissen is a journalist and war correspondent who has reported from numerous conflict zones, from Syria to Congo and from Ukraine to Afghanistan.
The podcast series will be available from 13 February. Listen to the trailer here.