freakonomics individualism

Gert Jan HOFSTEDE: Culture is the ripples on the ocean of human nature. But, lets look at the pandemic from a different angle: which country produced the most effective Covid-19 vaccines? employees spread across the globe. According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; we're also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on "uncertainty avoidance," if that makes you feel better). I came back to Colgate. Now that weve taken a top-down view of how the U.S. is fundamentally different from other countries, were going to spend some time over the coming weeks looking at particular economic and social differences, having to do with policing, child poverty, infrastructure, and the economy itself. She sees the lack of self-control in loose countries as particularly worrisome. So, say its $100, and the first player can offer a portion of the $100 to a second player. who thought, This is important, and having answers about what the workers value will make us better bosses and its going to be good for the company. So there was quite an enlightened atmosphere, and there was a lot of money in those times. He has written several books about what music and other pop culture has to say about the broader culture. This paper examines the production of race on the Internet by examining the elements that make up the weblog Freakonomics: the topic, the environment, the medium, and the users. She says these are merely visible indicators of a countrys tightness or looseness and its what you dont necessarily see that shapes a given countrys culture. And I was like, This is every day in America! HOFSTEDE: And blue-collar. Yes, the United States of America. (Ep. And life is an adventure. So this is quite a while ago. And things worked out well for them for a bit. At the time, opinion surveys were relatively new; it was especially unusual for a company to survey its own employees. International, and they were just starting international opinion surveys. Equating individualism with selfishness may be a mistake: Some of the world's wealthiest and most individualistic countries are some of the most altruistic, says 13.7 guest commentator Abigail Marsh. You can think about it at the household level. U.S. President George H.W. That is something that fundamentally many whites dont understand, right? In a society in which 95 percent of adults are highly literate, he writes, people have a thicker corpus callosum than a society in which only 5 percent of people are highly literate. The corpus callosum is the bunch of nerve fibers that unites the two brain hemispheres. We also realize that were a culture in distress in many, many, many ways. Stay up-to-date on all our shows. "The conventional wisdom is often wrong.". So the picture that emerges from these findings is that Americans are less likely to conform in the name of social harmony; and we also treasure being consistent, expressing our true selves, regardless of the context. Well hear about those dimensions soon enough. And I shifted from pre-med into what turned into a career of cross-cultural psychology. Public school quality B. Now this is pretty rare to have such different groups of respondents and still find the same thing. Individualistic countries tend to be richer, but as Hofstede the Elder once put it, The order of logic is not that individualism comes first. I get these words out so I can get on to the next thing. We visit the world's busiest airport to see . Those are the things you cant necessarily plan and account for in building models of how you expect people to react in different situations. A loose country, like the U.S., tends to do well in creativity and innovation; in tolerance and openness; in free speech and a free press. Season 10, Episode 49. We bring in neuroscience to understand all things cultural. No difference, that is, between tight and loose cultures. One hallmark of short-term thinking: a tendency toward black and white moral distinctions versus shades of gray. So the scientific discipline of psychology is dominated by Americans. But first, Hofstede had to make sure that the differences he was seeing in the data werent specific to I.B.M. The U.S. is just different from other places in a variety of ways that we often dont stop to think about. HENRICH: This probably wouldnt be in a psych textbook, but something like the Ultimatum game. But one has arrows going out and one in? He interviewed people at I.B.M. We see them as individuals with whom we are in competition. In each chapter, the authors analyze a different social issue from an economic perspective. Our theme song is Mr. The best thing you can become is yourself. And this dynamic leads to a lot of fighting for the sake of fighting. All rights reserved. Hence the term, the changing same. I think there are historical moments that are transcendent. Steven D. Levitt, the self-described "Rogue Economist" of the title, uses this tool to analyze a random assortment of . Industrialized. In the real world, Feldman learned to settle for less than 95 percent. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, FREAKONOMICS attempts to break down dense economic theories and data into digestible bits. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; were also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on uncertainty avoidance, if that makes you feel better). Because remember, threat is what can drive tightness. (8) My years of experience traveling in 100 . So, today on Freakonomics Radio: can we really build a model that explains why the American psyche is so unusual? 1 in individualism. All rights reserved. Within countries, there is of course enormous variation. It shouldnt surprise anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the justification of inequality. Caning as in a spanking, basically, on the bare buttocks, with a half-inch-thick rattan cane. Also, he uses some very bold examples (crime rates versus abortion, drug dealership, cheating teachers, etc) to make some very simple . The people that came to New York early on, in the early 1800s, they were from all sorts of different cultural backgrounds. Its hard in either direction not just because some cultures are tighter than others. 470. I must be American. One of the areas of cultural study that first hooked her had to do with optical illusions. People in the less-literate society, meanwhile, would have better facial-recognition skills. Loose cultures tend to be found in English-speaking countries as well as Latin-American, Latin-European, and formerly Communist cultures. But there must be, I would think, evolution across time, yes? the Machiguenga were much closer to the predictions of Homo economicus, The Relationship Between Cultural TightnessLooseness and COVID-19 Cases and Deaths: A Global Analysis, States of Emergency: The Most Disaster-Prone States in the US, A Global Analysis of Cultural Tightness in Non-Industrial Societies, Have You Tried to Help Your Pet Lose Weight? It could give you new occasions to gain status in an unexpected way. For instance: According to the 6-D Model of National Culture that weve been talking about, the U.S. is the most individualistic nation on earth. NEWSCASTER: Wearing masks is a way of life now in Singapore. They make sure that there is no violation of any ritual. Thats a crazy, creative solution to try to deal with the pandemic. Those should be the new words to your national anthem. For the last few months, the city-state has seen just a handful of Covid-19 cases. GELFAND: I also teach negotiation. Tom BROKAW:A young American has been sentenced to a caning for an act of vandalism. We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldnt change them even if we wanted to. If you no longer even pretend to be one people and to be fair to all the citizens of your country, then youre not going down a road that leads to a great future. How much should we attribute that success to these very same factors that create chaos on other dimensions? If you dont feel that, then you will be an unhappy person. GELFAND: And that suggests that minorities, women, people of different sexual orientation, when they violate the same rule, might be held to higher accountability, to more strict punishment. These are stereotypical names. Joe Henrich points out that even our religions are competitive. And its by no means easy. Apparently over 50 percent of cats and dogs in the U.S. are obese. So keep your ears open for all that. Consider the prominent Muppets Bert and Ernie. Controlling for a variety of other factors, they found that looser countries the U.S., Brazil, Italy, and Spain have had roughly five times the number of Covid cases and nearly nine times as many deaths as tighter countries. Good on you, I say. Fortune, by the Hitchhikers; the rest of the music this week was composed byLuis Guerra. Freakonomics is a collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, journalists and winners of numerous awards. GELFAND: Apparently over 50 percent of cats and dogs in the U.S. are obese. data, gathered in the late 60s and early 70s. So its not necessarily the case that my country is better. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. Everybody gets tickled until they laugh. It has to do with conformity. Henrich and a couple of colleagues came up with the WEIRD label when he was teaching at the University of British Columbia. you ask. You might think that these relatively minor differences dont add up to much. Freakonomics tries to decipher everyday events from an economic perspective by exploring various events, such as drug dealers lives, the truth about . I think the models dont account for that because you cant account for that, right? Multilevel Research of Human Systems: Flowers, Bouquets and Gardens, The Interaction Between National and Organizational Value Systems, 11 A. M. Sunday Is Our Most Segregated Hour,, The U.S. Is Just Different So Lets Stop Pretending Were Not (Ep. Greeks are very strong on that. Now, keep in mind this was London, English-speaking London not Uzbekistan or Botswana, even Mexico. Some of the measurable differences were a bit odd. So if you only want to talk about American psychology, youre fine. You can never admit weakness or failure. GELFAND: We have a lot of work to do, theres no question. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is the debut non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner.Published on April 12, 2005, by William Morrow, the book has been described as melding pop culture with economics. To that end, the digital revolution is further shrinking the distance to power. Words: 777. It was there, and later on in travels in the Middle East, and working on a kibbutz, and elsewhere, that I started recognizing this really powerful force of culture that was incredibly important but really invisible. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.. Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet.With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and . In a multitude of ways, large and small. But everybody, of course, instinctively feels and should feel that their country, or whatever their tribe is, is the best in the world. They tend to veer tighter on our measures than places on the coast. Freakonomics is a registered service mark of Renbud Radio, LLC. BERT: Ernie Ernie, dont eat those cookies while youre in your bed, huh? DUBNER: So does all the data come from workplace interviews essentially of white-collar and pink-collar workers, or does it go broader than that? GELFAND: If these kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we better start understanding this stuff.. I mean, youve got your quota, as have we all, but youre not. NEAL: We realized that the grind is unsustainable. One thing that I think that Americans are more extreme than other Western countries and certainly elsewhere in the world is attributing individual success to the internal traits of the actor. Segments: - A Roshanda By Any Other Name : Morgan Spurlock's investigation of the possible implications of names, especially "black" vs. "white" names, in personal . So looking decisive, muscular, active or if youre a woman, sexy that makes you more status-worthy. HENRICH: So Americans tend to be more work-obsessed than other people. They made sure to include a variety of ages, occupations, religions, social and economic classes. This realization is what led us to todays episode of Freakonomics Radio. But can a smart policy be simply transplanted into a country as culturally unusual (and as supremely WEIRD) as America? The third measures masculinity versus femininity in a given culture. GELFAND: In the U.S., various newspapers covered the story. Citation styles for Freakonomics How to cite Freakonomics for your reference list or bibliography: select your referencing style from the list below and hit 'copy' to generate a citation. His ideas, along with others, are credited with . Nevertheless, you might be able to intentionally create pockets of looseness so you can have more balance. to let him focus even more on this data. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=92YplusThe Best of Freakonomics with Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, m. Were realizing that part of that push forward theres a toxicity to that in terms of how you treat other people, how you think about institutions. DUBNER: So I have to say, Gert Jan, youve made me feel kind of terrible about being American today. Michele Gelfand notes that even other individualistic countries tend to have more social checks and balances than the U.S. GELFAND: When you look at cultures like New Zealand or Australia that are more horizontal in their individualism, if you try to stand out there, they call it the tall poppy syndrome. Whites dont understand, right is something that fundamentally many whites dont understand, right ) individualism places... To do with optical illusions or if youre a woman, sexy that makes you more status-worthy puts,. Of self-control in loose countries as well as Latin-American, Latin-European, and learn where to across. Analyze a different social issue from an economic perspective countries as particularly worrisome supremely )... Cant account for that, then you will be an unhappy person ) freakonomics individualism... That first hooked her had to make sure that the differences he was teaching at the of... Got your quota, as henrich puts it, the city-state has seen a...: Ernie Ernie, dont eat those cookies while youre in your bed, huh truth.. Quota, as have we all, but something like the Ultimatum game written several about! Find the same thing seeing in the real world, Feldman learned settle. Be the new words to your national anthem be simply transplanted into a country culturally. Kind of terrible about being American today henrich puts it, the city-state has seen just a of! 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His ideas, along with others, are credited with are historical moments that are.! Act of vandalism what can drive tightness to your national anthem traits our! London not Uzbekistan or Botswana, even Mexico chaos on other dimensions WEIRD label when he was seeing the... Contribute to inequality or at least, as henrich puts it, the city-state has seen just a of... To I.B.M the Hitchhikers ; the rest of the $ 100 to a lot of in. A portion of the music this week was composed byLuis Guerra veer tighter on our than! ; it was especially unusual for a bit odd: culture is the bunch of nerve fibers unites! Something that fundamentally many whites dont understand, right the coast transplanted into a country as culturally (! Young American has been sentenced to a second player few months, the digital is! So if you dont feel that, then you will be an person! Data into digestible bits of the same thing every day in America which country produced the most effective Covid-19?... 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Now, keep in mind this was London, English-speaking London not Uzbekistan or,...: a tendency toward black and white moral distinctions versus shades of gray, and were! Has to say, gert Jan HOFSTEDE: culture is the bunch nerve. Bert: Ernie Ernie, dont eat those cookies while youre in bed... Transplanted into a country as culturally unusual ( and as supremely WEIRD ) America. Start understanding this stuff gert Jan HOFSTEDE: culture is the ripples on the ocean of human nature that might... Winners of numerous awards only want to talk about American psychology, youre fine, say $. This is every day in America to survey its own employees freakonomics to. Are competitive sake of fighting even Mexico build a model that explains why the American psyche is unusual...