Main content

Why Doesn't Everyone Clear Up?

Ella investigates those free riders who just don鈥檛 pull their weight around the house - is it just laziness or is there some deep-wired evolutionary reason at work here?

It鈥檚 a familiar problem with any shared household - there鈥檚 always someone who doesn鈥檛 do their fair share. Studies have shown that when people with different thresholds live together, the person with the lower tolerance for mess cleans up more, quickly leading to resentment and conflict. So why do some people clean up more than others? What needs to happen for everyone to pull their weight? Evolutionary science has some answers. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to Dr Nichola Raihani, Professor of Evolution and Behaviour from University College London, to find out about free riders, cheaters and public goods, and how evolutionary scientists view cooperation challenges. Great British Bake Off star Michael Chakraverty shares his own anecdotes of untidy flatmates and failed attempts to enhance cooperation.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Jun 2024 19:45

Broadcasts

  • Fri 23 Dec 2022 14:45
  • Thu 30 May 2024 21:45
  • Sun 2 Jun 2024 19:45

Podcast