04: Staying with a Man Who's Not Right For You

Most therapists treat the survival of a relationship as a good thing. Dr. Lisle calls that idea insane. Your Stone Age brain is running an algorithm designed to protect a pregnant woman in an environment of scarcity, and that algorithm will keep you attached to a man who isn't right for you, long past the point where every other signal is telling you to leave. In this episode, Dr. Doug Lisle unpacks the Last Man on Earth Syndrome, the Good Guy Trap, and the real reason women feel pulled to stay in mediocre relationships three to five months in. He explains why the classic "heart versus head" conflict is a myth, what cognitive dissonance actually is, the difference between pair bond strategy and casual mating strategy, and why the two-parent home argument is one of the most overstated ideas in 20th century psychology. Key question covered: Why do women stay with men who aren't right for them, and what is the evolutionary psychology behind the pull to stay Beat Your Genes is co-hosted by evolutionary psychologist Dr. Doug Lisle, PhD and Dr. Nathan Gershfeld, DC. New episodes every other week. YouTube: youtube.com/@BeatYourGenes beatyourgenes.org Doug Lisle: esteemdynamics.com Nathan Gershfeld: fastingescape.com X: @BeatYourGenes Intro and outro: City of Happy Ones. Ferenc Hegedus. Licensed for use. Copyright Beat Your Genes Podcast