Why do we do that?

Why Do We Do That?

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Ella Al-Shamahi investigates the origins of everyday human habits and behaviour.

An anthropologist's guide to the modern world. Ella Al-Shamahi investigates the origins of everyday human habits and behaviour.

Why Do We Do That? An anthropologist's guide to the modern world.

There are lots of everyday things which, when you think about them, are pretty weird. Like kissing, doomscrolling and sitting down to go to the loo. Social media may tell you to blame the latest influencer who went viral. Your therapist might tell you to blame your parents. But palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi is here to tell you to blame your great, great, great, great, great, etc. grandparents. For some stuff at least. In this series, Ella is joined by some wonderful guests to dive into the cultural, historical and evolutionary story of everyday human habits and behaviour.

Photo: Sarah Cresswell / The Times / News Licensing

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Why Do We Do That?: Why Do We Procrastinate?

Why Do We Procrastinate?

BBC Radio 4 - Why Do We Do That?, Why Do We Procrastinate?

Can we blame procrastination on our evolution?

Why do we constantly put stuff off? Ella Al-Shamahi investigates if our palaeolithic minds are hardwired for procrastination…

Procrastination is the thief of time - or so the old saying goes. Studies have shown that people who procrastinate have higher levels of stress and lower levels of well-being. So why do we do it? One theory is that focusing on the here-and-now was beneficial for our palaeolithic ancestors. Dr Caroline Schulter from Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany found that chronic procrastinators have a larger amygdala, a key area in the brain that processes and learns from emotions. Could it be a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions? It doesn’t seem to bother comedian Eshaan Akbar, who believes procrastination is a good thing…

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