The Good Fight

Kathryn Paige Harden on How Genetics Shapes Human Behavior

The Good Fight

Show Notes

Yascha Mounk and Paige Harden discuss twin studies, heritability research, and why genetic influence varies across different traits and populations.

Kathryn Paige Harden is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and serves as Director of Clinical Training. Her latest book is Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Paige Harden discuss why twin studies reveal the substantial influence of genetics on human behavior, how genetic effects actually increase rather than decrease over a person’s lifetime, and why acknowledging genetic influences shouldn’t be seen as incompatible with progressive politics.

Watch this conversation on our ⁠YouTube Channel⁠!

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠.

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

Connect with us!

⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Google⁠

X: ⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠ & ⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠

YouTube: ⁠Yascha Mounk⁠, ⁠Persuasion⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠Persuasion Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from The Good Fight

Oct 20, 2026

Yascha Mounk and James Marriott explore what happens when a civilization turns its back on books.

Oct 17, 2026

Yascha Mounk and Eliot Cohen delve into the lost meaning of “strategy” and why Trump's Iran gambit went off the rails.

Oct 13, 2026

Yascha Mounk and David Deming discuss how artificial intelligence will transform research, teaching, and the economic foundations of higher education.

Oct 10, 2026

Yascha Mounk, Owen Zidar, and Eric Zwick examine how America's hidden fortunes are built on garage doors, car dealerships, and beverage distribution.

Oct 6, 2026

Yascha Mounk and Luis Garicano examine why Europe missed the tech revolution—and how it might catch up.

See all episodes →