The Hook Up

Do you think humans are biologically wired for one partner? Or have we been socially conditioned into monogamy? We deep dive into the science and history of human relationships to figure out whether pairing with one person for life is our natural state of being, or if we’re actually biologically predisposed to be non-monogamous.
SHOW NOTES:
Our biology wants us untethered. So why does society place so much emphasis on monogamy?:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-barash-why-humans-choose-monogamy-20160320-story.html
Monogamous Animal Study - where humans rank:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/10/humans-rank-among-leading-monogamous-mammals-study-finds
PODCAST: Science Vs - True Love: Is Monogamy Unnatural? 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gm9BvCWsHhXN2erbvNXiv
PODCAST: Lives Well Lived w/ Anna Machin: Monogamy Is Unnatural
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WyhifKm70RhzlLUChN8S3
BOOK: Esther Perel - Mating In Captivity
BOOK: Sex At Dawn - Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá
BOOK: Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution - Cat Bohannon 
VIDEO: Helen Fisher + Chris Ryan + Esther Perel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMji-YE1qVA
DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: [email protected]
The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

Louis Theroux’s new Netflix doco Inside the Manosphere has everyone talking. So in this episode, Dee chats with men’s violence prevention advocate and educator Tarang Chawla about his reaction to the film, why so many young men and boys are drawn to manosphere influencers, and the real-world impacts this content is having.
SHOW NOTES:
Inside The Manosphere - https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81920687
Tarang Chawla - https://tarangchawla.com/
1800 Respect (1800 737 732): national domestic family and sexual violence counselling hotline.
Mensline Australia (1300 78 99 78): counselling support for men with concerns about mental health, relationships, anger management, family violence (using and experiencing), stress, and suicidal thoughts.
13YARN (13 92 76): 24/7 culturally safe crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636): 24/7 support for anxiety and depression.
DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: [email protected]
The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

Sometimes our mates do or say things that are a turn off - but unlike a relationship, sometimes we let them slide. In this episode we find out your friendship icks, and debate whether we should hold friends to the same standard that we hold our relationships to.
DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: [email protected]
The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? When writer Chanté Joseph asked that question in Vogue last year, she broke the internet. It pissed a lot of people off, but it also made a lot of single women finally feel validated. So why did it strike such a nerve? Dee Salmin asks Chanté what she really meant, what she thinks about heterosexuality in 2026, and whether engagements and marriage are embarrassing too. 
SHOW NOTES:
Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? Article: https://www.vogue.com/article/is-having-a-boyfriend-embarrassing-now
DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: [email protected]
The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

If you really want (or don’t want) kids, what do you do if you’re dating or in a relationship with someone who doesn’t feel the same way? It can be one of the hardest things to navigate, so in this episode – you’ll hear from relationship coach Megan Luscombe on how to figure out if it’s a dealbreaker or if it’s something you can work through. 
DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: [email protected]
The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.