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lectures > lectures autumn 2001

In praise of 'bad habits'

Speaker: Dr. Peter Marsh
17th November 2001

We live in an age which is the safest we have experienced in our evolution and yet we see dangers lurking in every aspect of our daily lives - from the food we eat to the 'strangers' our children might encounter on the way to school. When our lives are objectively risk-free, we perversely become more risk averse - often to the point of neurotic obsession. In place of the timeless pursuit of pleasure, we substitute a narrow struggle for longevity, eschewing all those things which, we are constantly informed by self-appointed guardians of lifestyle correctness, are 'bad for us'. This lecture examines these current trends from an evolutionary psychology perspective, suggesting that much of what we take to be 'moral' or 'correct' ways of life are, in fact, unsustainable. The long-term consequences of what has been termed 'healthism' are potentially disastrous at both individual and soc 'bad habit', and where people who reject narcissistic preoccupations with perfect body shape and narrowly defined 'fitness' are less often castigated for their views and lifestyles, is the next natural swing of the human cultural pendulum.

Peter Marsh is a Chartered Psychologist and Director of the Social Issues Research Centre, a non-profit organisation in Oxford primarily concerned with positive aspects of lifestyles and social behaviour. Known for his early work on football hooliganism (1970s/80s), his first book, Rules of Disorder, is still a set text. Further work on aspects of aggression and violence has included research with youth gangs in New York and Chicago and with youth groups in France and Italy. His other main research interests have been in the field of non-verbal behaviour, leading to a number of books: Gestures (written with Desmond Morris); Eye to Eye; and Tribes. His most recent 'popular' book, Lifestyle, is concerned with people's relationships to their homes and their environments. He is a frequent contributor to radio and television programmes.