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On Being with Krista Tippett

This Is Your Brain on Sex

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being Studios

Sociology, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Krista Tippett, Arts, Culture, On Being, Society, Society & Culture, Science, Social Sciences

4.710.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 April 2018

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Anthropologist Helen Fisher explores the biological workings of our intimate passions, the brew of chemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters that make the thrilling and sometimes treacherous realms of love and sex. In the research she does for match.com and her TED Talks that have been viewed by millions of people, she wields science as an entertaining, if sobering, lens on what feel like the most meaningful encounters of our lives. In this deeply personal conversation, she shows how it is possible to take on this knowledge as a form of wisdom and power.

Transcript

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0:00.0

What predicts the path of a human life?

0:02.5

The big stuff, family, education, community, or the little stuff?

0:07.0

We're in the moments.

0:08.0

He said, what do you think about Robin of Bank?

0:10.0

My response was, yes, this is a great idea.

0:12.0

Looking for patterns this week on Invisibiliah from NPR.

0:18.0

On Being is brought to you by the John Templeton Foundation.

0:21.0

The Templeton Foundation supports academic research

0:24.0

and civil dialogue on the deepest, most perplexing questions facing human kind.

0:29.0

Who are we? Why are we here? And where are we going?

0:32.0

To learn more, please visit Templeton.org, the Templeton Foundation.

0:37.0

Stay curious.

0:40.0

You can know every single ingredient in a piece of chocolate cake.

0:43.0

But then when you sit down and eat it, you just feel that rush of joy.

0:48.0

And in the same way, I know a lot about love, I know a lot about marriage,

0:52.0

I know a lot about adulterant divorce, I know something about the brain,

0:56.0

I know, certainly, I know, hopefully, I know something about evolution.

0:59.0

But I'm just like you and everybody else.

1:01.0

When it hits you, you're off to the races.

1:04.0

You know, there's been times that I've walked towards the phone saying,

1:07.0

don't call them home.

1:09.0

This isn't a good idea, Helen.

...

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