259: Jolene Brighten | Finding Balance Beyond the Pill

Evolutionary Mismatch

The concept of evolutionary mismatch highlights how modern lifestyles impact women's hormonal health. Jolene Brighten explains that our bodies have not evolved to handle constant exposure to artificial lights and screens, which disrupt melatonin and cortisol levels, affecting sleep and hormones 1. This disruption can lead to symptoms like PMS, often linked to estrogen dominance and inadequate liver function. Brighten emphasizes the importance of supporting the body's natural detoxification processes rather than relying solely on supplements 1.

It's something that I really like to see women's medicine move away from like calling us dysfunctional and stuff because usually what it is is a physiological adaptation to what's essentially like an evolutionary mismatch.

--- Jolene Brighten

Lifestyle choices, including diet, sleep, and stress management, play a crucial role in hormonal health, influencing gene expression and hormone regulation 2.

   

Mate Selection Biology

Biological and evolutionary factors significantly influence mate selection and attraction. Jolene Brighten discusses how pheromones and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) guide attraction, with women naturally drawn to genetically diverse partners when off birth control 3. However, hormonal birth control alters these preferences, leading women to select mates more genetically similar to themselves, which can affect relationship satisfaction 4.

Women on the pill will actually select for men that look more feminine. But you know what they're really interested in, what they're really selecting for is intelligence and money.

--- Jolene Brighten

This shift can result in mismatches, as preferences change once women stop using the pill, potentially leading to dissatisfaction and higher divorce rates 4.