We’re speaking with Alex Hutchinson about his new book The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map.

Michael asked Alex 17 questions about exploration—why humans are driven to explore, the benefits of exploration, how exploration is changing, and how we can explore more today.

Michael gained so much insight into my own life from Alex’s book and our exchange below, and I hope you will, too.

You’ll learn:

* Why exploration is critical to being a human.

* Why humans are hardwired to seek the unknown.

* The truth about dopamine and how it factors into exploration.

* Whether humans are unique in our ability to explore.

* Another (surprising) animal that is a badass explorer.

* How a wild occurrence 50,000 years ago allowed humans to conquer the globe.

* Why living well requires pushing yourself into new experiences.

* How exploration is changing, and why that’s not necessarily a good thing.

* The downsides of technology and how it’s altering the rewards we get from exploration.

* Why Alex thinks I should change “Burn The Ships” to “Eat The Camels.”

* How endurance and exploration are related (overlaps between Alex’s books).

* How writing the book changed Alex’s everyday behaviors (and why those changes led his children to complain about his driving).

* How we can explore cities for better experiences.

* How you can explore every single day.

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