ManTalks Podcast9 Jun 2025

Alex Hutchinson - We're Hardwired To Explore—And Risk

Talking points: genetics, culture, psychology, parenting

I'm the kid who's always running to see what's over the next hill, so I'm both grateful and excited to have Alex on the show. His latest book is incredible, and gets to the science of how we're actually happier with a little less predictability in so many parts of our lives. If you're someone whose life feels kind of listless right now, this is YOUR episode.

(00:00:00) - The “explorer gene”, dopamine, and the impact of modern tech on our ability to explore

(00:15:20) - Our relationship with the unknown, and how it messes us up sometimes

(00:25:04) - How the unknown can challenge relationships, and how to navigate that

(00:29:40) - The difference between exploration and exploitation

(00:35:54) - The “free energy principle” and the “effort paradox”

(00:52:52) - Tactical insights on amping up your exploration mindset

Alex Hutchinson is the New York Times bestselling author of Endure, a longtime columnist for Outside covering the science of endurance, and a National Magazine Award–winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. A former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, he holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, and he did his post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency. He lives in Toronto with his family.

Connect with Alex:

-Website: https://www.alexhutchinson.net/

-New book: The Explorer's Gene: https://bit.ly/43JicFr

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweat_science/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweatscience

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