Episode 449: Dr. Sarah Hill: How Birth Control Changes Your Brain, Dating Choices, and Evolutionary Psychology

Habits and Hustle

Jen Cohen and Habit Nest

Education, Health & Fitness, Business, Self-improvement, Entrepreneurship

4.4 • 763 Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Is hormonal birth control affecting more than just pregnancy prevention? In this Habits and Hustle podcast episode, I am joined by Dr. Sarah Hill, an evolutionary psychologist and author who explains the surprising ways birth control pills influence women's brains, behavior, and mate selection. We discuss how synthetic hormones alter women's natural cycles, changing partner preferences and affecting emotional responses. We also explore the fascinating science behind mate selection through an evolutionary lens, why men are attracted to women at peak fertility, and how birth control can disrupt the pheromonal cues that influence attraction. Dr. Sarah Hill is an evolutionary psychologist, author, and researcher who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin working with Dr. David Buss. Her research focuses on understanding behavior and motivation through the lens of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, with particular emphasis on women's psychology, hormones, and sexual motivation. What We Discuss: (00:00) Birth Control & Women's Psychological States (04:14) Effects of Birth Control on Emotions (15:26) Relationship Changes After Birth Control (19:22) Hormonal Birth Control and Pheromones (27:05) Partner Preferences and Attraction Triggers (34:43) Modern Dating Challenges and Hormones (39:01) Modern Dating Delays Marriage (42:51) Women's Relationship Choices and Evolution (48:07) Competition, Jealousy, and Marriage Threats (55:27) Divorce, Dating, and Female Friendship (01:04:43) Hormonal Birth Control and Side Effects …and more! Thank you to our sponsors: Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off DavidProtein: Try David today—buy 4, get the 5th free at davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle. Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement Find more from Dr. Sarah Hill: Website: https://www.sarahehill.com/ Books: https://www.sarahehill.com/your-brain-on-birth-control/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahehillphd/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it. Can birth control really
0:08.1	change who you're attracted to or even who you become? On this episode of Habits and Hustle,
0:13.9	I'm joined by Dr. Sarah Hill, who's an evolutionary psychologist and author to explore how
0:19.6	hormonal birth control impacts the brain,
0:22.4	behavior, and mate choice. We dive into how the pill can alter sexual desire,
0:27.7	stress response, emotional sensitivity, and even influence the type of partner you're drawn to.
0:33.9	It may even affect your mental health and motivation in ways most women aren't told.
0:38.9	So whether you're using birth control or just curious, this is an eye-opening conversation
0:44.6	that will change how you think about hormones and your identity.
1:00.7	Before we dive into today's episode, I first want to thank our sponsor, Therasage.
1:07.2	Their trite panel has become my favorite biohacking thing for healing my body.
1:12.5	It's a portable red light panel that I simply cannot live without. I literally bring it with me everywhere I go. And I personally use their red light therapy to help reduce
1:17.5	inflammations and places in my body where honestly I have pain. You can use it on a sore back,
1:24.2	stomach cramps, shoulder, ankle. Red light therapy is my go-to. Plus, it also has
1:30.5	amazing anti-aging benefits, including reducing signs of fine lines and wrinkles on your face, which I also
1:37.3	use it for. I personally use Therisage trilight everywhere at all the time. It's small, it's affordable, it's portable, and it's
1:47.4	really effective. Head over to Therisage.com right now and use code B-Bold for 15% off. This code
1:58.4	will work sitewide. Again, head over to Therisage, T-H-E-R-A-S-A-G-E.com, and use code
2:08.3	B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-F-T-E-E-O-E-B-E-O-K-E-O-K-E-O-K-E-K-E-G-E. Okay, you guys, this is going to be a goody.
2:22.7	We have Dr. Sarah Hill on the podcast today, who is an evolutionary, an evolutionary psychologist.
2:30.4	By the way, I want you to tell us what that is, but she is someone who talks all about hormones,
2:37.1	the effects of birth control. You wrote a whole book on this, and mating, which is, again,
	...

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