Competition, trust, and intelligence: synthesising evolutionary thinking with the social sciences
- 👤 Speaker: Dr Jonathan Goodman (University of Cambridge)
- 📅 Date & Time: Thursday 29 January 2026, 12:30 - 13:30
- 📍 Venue: Hybrid (in-person at the Herchel Smith Building and online via zoom)
Abstract
Issues of trust and cognition are well explored in psychology and psychiatry, and in the case of cognition, genetics is known to play an important role. In both areas, however, the role of evolutionary theory is often missing: trust and the genetics of cognition are often treated as divorced from foundational principles in human social evolution. Drawing from my recent book, Invisible Rivals: how we evolved to compete in a cooperative world, I’ll discuss how a synthesis of these areas is critical for moving our understanding of trust and cognition forward. I will discuss my ongoing work on trust and behavioural genetics, and suggest that interdisciplinary considerations of problems in both areas are essential.
Series This talk is part of the Department of Psychiatry & CPFT Thursday Lunchtime Seminar Series series.
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- Hybrid (in-person at the Herchel Smith Building and online via zoom)
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Thursday 29 January 2026, 12:30-13:30