Navigate Select ESC Close

The Uncomfortable Science Of Sex Differences - Steve Stewart-Williams

2026-07-06 People & Blogs
28.6k
735
110
Chris Williamson
Chris Williamson
4.3m subscribers

Unlock all features

FREE: Get instant access to 10 AI summaries, chats, or transcripts per day.

Description

Steve Stewart-Williams is an evolutionary psychologist, a professor, and an author. Why is it so difficult to talk about the differences between men and women today? It's important to recognize that men and women deserve equal respect and opportunity, but that does not mean they are exactly the same. There are differences between the sexes that can be meaningful, valuable, and even beautiful. So what are those differences, and why has discussing them become so polarising? Expect to learn why talking about sex differences is so controversial, what the actual definition of sex is, why there are challenges to the binary idea of sex, the largest sex differences between men and women, how sex differences reveal themselves via personality, the danger of denying and/or not respecting the differences in sex, and much more… - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom - 0:00 Why Sex Differences Are So Controversial 2:07 Why Sex Differences Matter 7:55 What Actually is Sex? 13:21 Biology vs Society: What Shapes Sex Differences? 19:50 How Much Do Parents Impact Sex Differences? 21:37 The Gender Equality Paradox 26:39 The Top Difference Between Men and Women 29:02 What is the Biggest Sex Differences in Sex? 39:44 Is Parental Investment Damaging? 42:18 Do Men Have Greater Reproductive Success? 50:14 The Hidden Motivations Behind Behaviour 54:34 Are Human Sex Differences Unique? 01:00:07 Is It All About Reproducing? 01:03:20 Why Women Prefer Reading Porn 01:11:44 Are Men and Women Compromising On Sex? 01:14:13 How Similar Are Male and Female Mate Preferences? 01:16:55 How Status and Wealth Shape Attraction 01:21:55 Would Women Sleep With Their Ideal Sperm Donor? 01:29:21 Why Are Women Attracted to Dangerous Men? 01:37:34 Is Height Really That Important? 01:40:25 Do Men Actually Talk More Than Women? 01:46:54 Why Do Men Choose to Be Sexually Violent? 01:52:11 Are Women Naturally More Nurturing? 01:58:59 Who Gets More Jealous in Relationships? 02:03:30 The Biggest Personality Differences Between Men and Women 02:13:25 Are Cognitive Sex Differences Real? 02:16:55 Why Women Outlive Men 02:23:34 Why Mental Health Differs Between the Sexes 02:26:21 What Happens When We Deny Sex Differences? 02:29:53 The Cost of Exaggerating Sex Differences 02:32:33 Where to Find Steve - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Top Comments (10)

@DadHominem 2026-07-06

There is nothing controversial about sex differences; there is only controversy for those who rigidly hold to a false narrative than facts easily and readily debunk. The differences have been long-known and well studied.

180 14 replies
@David-f8k9j 2026-07-06

" The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it,ignorance may deride it,but in the end,there it is." - Winston Churchill. -

70 1 replies
@clippyclippies 2026-07-06

We already know that the genders are not identical, hence the categories in the first place. Why do people struggle so much with accepting that men and women can be different yet still equal? It is as obvious that we need both men and women as it is that men and women are different.

51 13 replies
@eelcylee 2026-07-06

Walter White in an alternate universe is a killin' evolutionary psychologist. Also Kiwi

37
@ChrisWillx 2026-07-05

Hello you beauties. Access every episode 10 hours before YouTube for free on Spotify - https://spotify.modernwisdom.com or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.modernwisdom.com Here’s the timestamps: 0:00 Why Sex Differences Are So Controversial 2:07 Why Sex Differences Matter 7:55 What Actually is Sex? 13:21 Biology vs Society: What Shapes Sex Differences? 19:50 How Much Do Parents Impact Sex Differences? 21:37 The Gender Equality Paradox 26:39 The Top Difference Between Men and Women 29:02 What is the Biggest Sex Differences in Sex? 39:44 Is Parental Investment Damaging? 42:18 Do Men Have Greater Reproductive Success? 50:14 The Hidden Motivations Behind Behaviour 54:34 Are Human Sex Differences Unique? 01:00:07 Is It All About Reproducing? 01:03:20 Why Women Prefer Reading Porn 01:11:44 Are Men and Women Compromising On Sex? 01:14:13 How Similar Are Male and Female Mate Preferences? 01:16:55 How Status and Wealth Shape Attraction 01:21:55 Would Women Sleep With Their Ideal Sperm Donor? 01:29:21 Why Are Women Attracted to Dangerous Men? 01:37:34 Is Height Really That Important? 01:40:25 Do Men Actually Talk More Than Women? 01:46:54 Why Do Men Choose to Be Sexually Violent? 01:52:11 Are Women Naturally More Nurturing? 01:58:59 Who Gets More Jealous in Relationships? 02:03:30 The Biggest Personality Differences Between Men and Women 02:13:25 Are Cognitive Sex Differences Real? 02:16:55 Why Women Outlive Men 02:23:34 Why Mental Health Differs Between the Sexes 02:26:21 What Happens When We Deny Sex Differences? 02:29:53 The Cost of Exaggerating Sex Differences 02:32:33 Where to Find Steve

14 1 replies
@ObscureOcelot17 2026-07-06

Heisenberg ain’t foolin nobody…

11
@Daveraider740 2026-07-06

I've read the book, probably the best modern one that explain differences in a very science and neurtral manner

8
@neo7794 2026-07-08

I was going to skip this episode, gave it 10min and ended up listening to all of it. Steve is very competent. Super interesting episode

7
@alicebombeeck5384 2026-07-07

"Our system is basicly ancient programming in a modern world" 💯❤️

4
@richardsmith2334 2026-07-07

The minds of people this guy has written his book for will not be changed.

2

Unlock the Data Inside
Turn Videos into Knowledge

  • Get FREE 10/day: transcripts, summaries, chats
  • Chat with videos, export text & PDF
  • $1 free API credit for RAG, chatbots & research

Free forever plan • All features unlocked

App screenshot