Is psychology the same across cultures? (with Joseph Henrich)

53 snips

Jul 17, 2024

Joseph Henrich, a Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard, dives deep into the concept of 'WEIRD' cultures—those that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. He explains how these cultures tend to favor analytic thinking and individualism, leading to higher rates of innovation. The conversation also examines moral reasoning differences between WEIRD and non-WEIRD cultures, as well as the influence of cultural factors on family dynamics and social behavior, revealing intricate connections between culture and psychology.

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ANECDOTE

Schooling's Impact on Cognitive Abilities

Schooling significantly impacts performance on cognitive tests like Raven's Progressive Matrices.
Children's IQ scores increase with formal education, regardless of inherent competence.

ANECDOTE

Burke and Wills Expedition

Burke and Wills, experienced outdoorsmen, died in the Australian outback due to lack of crucial survival knowledge.
They highlighted the importance of culturally accumulated knowledge in unfamiliar environments.

INSIGHT

Diversity and Innovation

Innovation thrives in diverse communities where individuals exchange different ideas.
Joseph Henrich uses surname diversity in US counties as a proxy for cultural diversity.

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Read the full transcript here.

What are "WEIRD" cultures? What percentage of the world's population is WEIRD? Why do WEIRD cultures tend to use analytic thinking (as opposed to the wholistic thinking used in non-WEIRD cultures)? Does school make you more intelligent or merely more knowledgeable? Do individualistic cultures tend to innovate more than collectivistic cultures? How does moral reasoning differ between WEIRD and non-WEIRD cultures? Is the world becoming more WEIRD? How diverse are non-WEIRD cultures?

Joseph Henrich is currently the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Before moving to Harvard, he was a professor of both Economics and Psychology at the University of British Columbia for nearly a decade, where he held the Canada Research Chair in Culture, Cognition, and Coevolution. His research deploys evolutionary theory to understand how human psychology gives rise to cultural evolution and how this has shaped our species' genetic evolution. Using insights generated from this approach, Professor Henrich has explored a variety of topics, including economic decision-making, social norms, fairness, religion, marriage, prestige, cooperation, and innovation. He's conducted long-term anthropological fieldwork in Peru, Chile, and in the South Pacific, as well as having spearheaded several large comparative projects. In 2016, he published The Secret of Our Success (Princeton) and in 2020, The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West became psychologically peculiar and particularly prosperous (FSG). Learn more about his work here, or follow him on Twitter / X at @JoHenrich.

Staff

Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director
Josh Castle — Producer
Ryan Kessler — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram — Factotum
Jennifer Vanderhoof — Transcriptionist

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