A conversation took me down the rabbit hole of supernormal stimuli — exaggerated stimuli that attract animals. It explains why people are attracted to over-the-top curves and beefy muscles… which you’ll find at bodybuilding competitions.

What do I ask a man who built a physique back in 1965 and if he walked into any contemporary gym today in his Mr. America condition, every lifter in the place would stop to behold a build somehow created with nothing fancier than barbells, dumbbells, steak, eggs, and elbow grease?