The Inaugural Evolution in the Public Eye Public Award & Lecture: The Evolution of “Recreational” Drug Use

Join the University of Michigan's Evolution & Human Adaptation Program (EHAP) for the inaugural Evolution in the Public Eye Award celebration, honoring exceptional work in bringing evolutionary perspectives on behavior to a wide audience. This award recognizes individuals who share evidence-based science and challenge misinformation, helping us all better understand the role of evolution in shaping the mind. The winner will deliver an address highlighting efforts to improve scholarly and public dialogue.

Lecture Abstract: Psychoactive drugs are widely used, it is thought, because they hijack reward-related neural circuitry. But most globally popular drugs, such as tobacco, coffee, cannabis, and cocaine, are highly toxic plant defensive chemicals that activate evolved toxin defense mechanisms, which has been termed the paradox of drug reward. Analyses of large national and cross-national datasets reveals how evolved toxin defense mechanisms profoundly shape age and sex patterns of drug use. Comparative evidence from primates and other species, as well as from hunter-gatherers, suggests that a “taste” for drugs might have evolved as a form of self-medication against parasites.

About the speaker: Edward Hagen received his BA in mathematics from UC Berkeley and his Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara. After a postdoc position at the Institute for Theoretical Biology in Berlin, he moved to his current position at Washington State University. His primary research focus is evolutionary medicine. He studies the evolution of depression, suicidality, and self-harm as credible signals of need in times of conflict as well as evolutionary explanations for tobacco and other plant toxin use. He also investigates the evolution of leadership, religion, and music.