Are Relationships Supposed To Last For Life? - Mads Larsen - #704

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello, friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Mads Larsen. He's a Norwegian author and journalist whose research focuses on the history of human mating ideologies. The narrative of human romance is an ancient story, but that story has not always remained the same. The last 10,000 years has been a crazy journey through different beliefs on why we should find and stay with a partner, and today we get to hear about all of the fascinating details. Expect to learn why it's so illuminating to study the story of mating ideologies across time, how our modern beliefs about finding a partner are historically very unusual, why having a daughter as a farmer could be a useful addition to your farming strategy, why incels are so unhappy, why old people are the happiest ever despite evidence to the contrary in the past, and much more. This episode is absolutely awesome. Mads, I met him a couple of months ago at HBEST, the Human Behavior and Evolution Society conference in Palm Springs, and this guy is so good. I adore this conversation. There is so much interesting stuff in here. Another underground hero, he will be coming back on the show. I really, really hope that you enjoy this one because this guy totally blew my socks off. Yeah, just sit back and enjoy this. This episode is brought to you by 8 Sleep. I am currently dying in austin because it's too hot all the time and I'm being kept alive by my 8 Sleep pod cover. It actively cools and heats each different side of the bed, so if you sleep hot or if you sleep cold, this fixes the problem. It is an absolute game changer. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night or feeling extra groggy in the morning, temperature is almost always to blame. Also, it tracks your sleep, tells you how long you've been asleep, it gives you advice about how to get to sleep better. It'll even adjust the temperature of your bed as your sleep stages change throughout the night. On top of all of that, there is a 90 day money back guarantee, so you can buy it and sleep on it for 89 days. And if you do not like it, they will give you your money back. Head to 8sleep.com/modernwisdom to save $150 or 150 pounds on the pod cover. That's the best offer that you will find, but you must go to eightsleep.com/modernwisdom. This episode is brought to you by Nomatic. No, literally, it's actually brought to you by Nomatic. Whenever I'm on the road, Nomatic is the luggage that I use. It's got a lifetime warranty and some of the best technology I've ever seen. It's so crazy what happens when you upgrade to proper, good quality, highly engineered luggage, whether you're taking a holiday or a weekend trip, they have everything that you need. For short trips, when you're taking a laptop with you, their Carry On Pro is an absolute game changer. It keeps your laptop safe and secure, whilst also giving you enough room for all the clothes you've got. The bags aren't just sexy looking. They're simply designed, not over-engineered and will literally last you a lifetime because they have a lifetime guarantee. That's how confident they are in their engineering. Best of all, there is a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can buy it and try it for 29 days. And if you do not love it for any reason, they'll give you your money back. Head to nomatic.com/modernwisdom and use the code modernwisdom at checkout for 20% of the best luggage on the planet. That's nomatic.com/modernwisdom and the code modernwisdom to upgrade your luggage game today. One of my favorite purchases over the last two years has been my cold plunge from the team over at plunge.com. They are the gold standard when it comes to cold therapy. You may have heard Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman talking about the benefits of repeated cold exposure. And it is real. You feel so amazing after you've done it. And the improvement in your mood is insane. So if you've been thinking that you want to get started doing cold therapy, but you cannot be bothered going to the store to get yourself ice every single time you need to do it, this is for you. Also, they've just released their own sauna, which is ridiculously high quality as well. And we are bouncing between the two, doing what's called contrast therapy, which makes you feel even better. So yeah, if you're looking to make a change, if you're looking to get yourself a cold plunge or a sauna for your house, this is the place to go. Best of all, they've got a 30 day money back guarantee. So you can buy it and try it for 29 days. And if you do not like it, they will give you your money back. Go to plunge.com to get your cold plunge and sauna today with $150 off your purchase by using the code MW150 at checkout. That's plunge.com and the code MW150 at checkout. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mads Larsen.