Are humans naturally monogamous?

Are humans naturally monogamous?

Author: BBC World Service March 15, 2025 Duration: 27:28

CrowdScience listener Alina is in a relationship with a polyamorous partner and is very happy with this arrangement, which got her thinking – why is monogamy so often the norm in human societies?

Presenter Caroline Steel goes on an anthropological odyssey to figure out where this drive to find a single partner - and stick with them - comes from.

What can science tell us about how human relationships developed, and whether having one or many partners is more 'natural'?

Evolutionary biologist Kit Opie of the University of Bristol joins us at London Zoo to help us understand the mating systems of our closest primate relatives.

To find out how polygamy developed in some parts of the world we speak to anthropologist Katie Starkweather of the University of Illinois Chicago.

And we learn about the chemistry of bonding from Sarah Blumenthal at Emory University, who explains how the brains of prairie voles may give us clue about the neurochemicals which shape human relationships.

Presenter: Caroline Steel Producers: Priya Sippy, Ben Motley and Imaan Moin Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood

(Image: Dancing wedding cake figurines Credit: Peter Dazeley via Getty Images)


Curiosity drives discovery, and CrowdScience from the BBC World Service is built entirely on that principle. Each episode begins not with a scripted lesson, but with a question sent in by a listener from anywhere in the world. These aren't simple queries with easy answers; they are the wonderfully complex, often quirky puzzles about everyday phenomena and cosmic mysteries that make us all stop and wonder. What does silence sound like? Could we ever photosynthesize like plants? How does a crowd's mood physically spread? The team then embarks on a genuine investigative journey, tracking down the specialists at the very edge of our understanding-neuroscientists, ecologists, physicists, and engineers-to piece together credible, compelling answers. Listening to this podcast feels like having a direct line to the labs and field sites where knowledge is being created. The conversations are deep yet accessible, transforming abstract concepts into relatable stories. It’s a collective exploration where listener curiosity sets the agenda, making each episode a unique and democratic look at the machinery of our world and beyond. You become part of a global community pondering life, Earth, and the universe, one thoughtful question at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

CrowdScience
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