Read on Twitter
1/ A book recommendation:
Whenever I find myself coming back to my notes again and again on a recent read, I think that means I should tell people they might want to check it out. Here's the book: https://www.amazon.com/WEIRDest-People-World-Psychologically-Particularly/dp/0374173222/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Whenever I find myself coming back to my notes again and again on a recent read, I think that means I should tell people they might want to check it out. Here's the book: https://www.amazon.com/WEIRDest-People-World-Psychologically-Particularly/dp/0374173222/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
2/ It opens with several BANGS:
Most psychological studies many of us are familiar with and cite comes from "Massively biased samples: Most of what was known experimentally about human psychology and behavior was based on studies with undergraduates from Western societies"
Most psychological studies many of us are familiar with and cite comes from "Massively biased samples: Most of what was known experimentally about human psychology and behavior was based on studies with undergraduates from Western societies"
3/ This is underlined by the fact that works out to a 96% concentration on 12% of the world’s population!
It highlights that "When cross-cultural data were
available from multiple populations, Western samples typically anchored the extreme end of the distribution.
It highlights that "When cross-cultural data were
available from multiple populations, Western samples typically anchored the extreme end of the distribution.
4/ They were psychologically weird."
Thus, the acronym title: W.E.I.R.D. stands for "Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic." The author offers a plethora of examples for how this biases the studies if you are attempting to make broad generalizations about
Thus, the acronym title: W.E.I.R.D. stands for "Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic." The author offers a plethora of examples for how this biases the studies if you are attempting to make broad generalizations about
5/ universal human nature. The studies find that we weirdos have very different dispositions regarding many aspects of life than people living in different cultures and even from our own ancestors in that we are
6/ ““highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical.”
Culture, independent of the biological evolutionary process, does "alter our brains, hormones, and anatomy, along with our perceptions, motivations, personalities, emotions, and many
Culture, independent of the biological evolutionary process, does "alter our brains, hormones, and anatomy, along with our perceptions, motivations, personalities, emotions, and many
7/ other aspects of our minds."
He persuasively argues that the proof of this can be found by examining the physical effects that literacy has on our “biology and psychology without altering the underlying genetic code.”
He persuasively argues that the proof of this can be found by examining the physical effects that literacy has on our “biology and psychology without altering the underlying genetic code.”
8/ Adults, on average, in highly literate society have “thicker corpus callosa and worse facial recognition” than a society where literacy was low.
The book than takes you through all of the reasons why understanding these differences is crucial to understanding
The book than takes you through all of the reasons why understanding these differences is crucial to understanding
9/ why some societies advance more quickly economically and socially than others. The list of major differences between WEIRD cultures and others is extensive: “Individualism and Personal Motivation ■Self - focus, self-esteem, and self-enhancement ■Guilt over shame
10/ â– Dispositional thinking (personality) : Attribution Errors and Cognitive Dissonance â– Low conformity and deference to tradition / elders â– Patience , self - regulation, and self -control â– Time thrift and hard work (value of labor)
11/ â– Desire for control and love of choice Impersonal Prosociality (and Related Worldviews) â– Impartial principles over contextual particularism â– Trust, fairness, honesty, and cooperation with anonymous others, strangers, and impersonal institutions ( e.g ., government )
12/ â– An emphasis on mental states, especially in moral judgment â– Muted concerns for revenge but willingness to punish third parties â– Reduced in-group favoritism â– Free will:
13/ notion that individuals make their own choices and those choices matter” are just the tip of the iceberg."
The author also makes a persuasive case for “aggregate social evolution” such that there is a mismatch between cumulative cultural evolution and the (hopefully)
The author also makes a persuasive case for “aggregate social evolution” such that there is a mismatch between cumulative cultural evolution and the (hopefully)
14/ continuing evolution of we humans as a species. Here's a pull quote on why that's important:
15/ There's so much more to the book, but I think this gives potential readers some good reasons why they might be interested in reading it--I've read it twice and think I'll end up reading it again, as there are huge implications for how we think about human nature and potential
16/ In the meantime, here's a brief interview the author did on @PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/who-are-the-weirdest-people-in-the-world/
17/ And here's the academic paper that got this idea going:
http://hci.ucsd.edu/102b/readings/WeirdestPeople.pdf
http://hci.ucsd.edu/102b/readings/WeirdestPeople.pdf
18/ But, more than anything, it reminds us that universal human nature may be very different than we weirdos in the West think it is--lots to chew on, enjoy.
