Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding

Daniel Lieberman is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Human Evolutionary Biology, as well as the Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. 

I study and teach how and why the human body looks and functions the way it does. I have long been fascinated by the evolution of the human head but my main focus is currently on the evolution of human physical activity. I am especially interested in how evolutionary approaches to activities such as walking and running, as well as changes to our body’s environments (such as wearing shoes and being physically inactive) can help better prevent and treat musculoskeletal diseases. To address these problems, I integrate experimental biomechanics and physiology in both the laboratory and the field with analyses of the human fossil record.