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The Evolution of Drugs and Drug Use - Ed Hagen, PhD
Why do humans consume psychoactive substances like alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and cocaine?
In this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Edward Hagen breaks down the fascinating evolutionary biology and psychology behind substance use, mental health, and human behavior.
Instead of looking at drug use purely through a modern medical or disease model, Dr. Hagen explores why plants produce these potent chemical compounds in the first place, how our ape ancestors evolved to metabolize ethanol from fermenting fruit (the "drunken monkey" hypothesis), and why humans have sought out plant toxins…
The skinny
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