Is a Man's Body More Like a Peacock's Tail or More Like Deer Antlers?

• Breaking down the viral “dad bod vs. shredded” Olly Murs poll and what it reveals about the psychology of attraction.

• How men and women misread each other’s mating preferences—and what that misunderstanding leads to

• When men post gym selfies, they think they’re showing discipline—many women see vanity

• Why PTSD rates are higher in peaceful, affluent countries compared with dangerous, violent ones

• The science of muscle mass and sex differences—including how the average man is stronger than 999 out of 1,000 women.

• I shared a story from when I was 14 and let a girl punch me in the face several times. Comparing the force of those blows with the times I got hit in the face by guys.

• Male strength—as measured in studies of hand grip strength—correlates with happiness, extroversion, and dating success.

• Why men’s perceptions of another man’s physical formidability predict his dating success better than women’s ratings of his attractiveness.

• Evolutionary reasons for men’s secondary sex characteristics such as deep voices, facial hair, and large muscles.

• Are men’s bodies more like peacock’s tails (to attract women) or more like deer antlers (to intimidate men)?

• Stories of military fitness tests I did in the Air Force—and how disappointing it is that most college-age men can’t even do 30 push-ups.

• Explaining that only 4% of the Air Force are pilots. Most other jobs are technicians (my job), radar operators, aircraft maintainers, cybersecurity analysts, military police, and combat roles other than piloting. It’s a massive logistical machine.

• Answering a question about who would win in a fight: me now or my 18-year-old self

• A couple of book recommendations

• Discussing whether I’d write a post about how men view women’s bodies. Maybe, but it would definitely go behind a paywall.

• Here’s one hot take I share in the livestream: