freakonomics individualism

And democratic. And heres one of the people who created the WEIRD designation. Baker was Bushs secretary of state; Aziz was Husseins deputy prime minister. Level of inequality C. Family composition D . And I think, Holy cow, Ukraine is surrounded by threat, including its next-door neighbor, Russia. That relationship has not been a constant, but that makes me a little suspicious. GELFAND: Well, we can look back to Herodotus. Everyone knows there are differences between people in different countries, but his approach was a quantifiable approach. Let's now consider the following statistic, which represents the hundreds of matches in which a 7-7 wrestler faced an 8-6 wrestler on a tournament's final day: 7-7 WRESTLER'S PREDICTED WIN PERCENTAGE AGAINST 8-6 OPPONENT: 48.77-7 WRESTLER'S ACTUAL WIN PERCENTAGE AGAINST 8-6 OPPONENT: 79.6So the 7-7 wrestler, based on . You want to know where you stand which is, for instance, what diplomats know very well. Culturally maybe more than anything! . But one has arrows going out and one in? Ambiguity is good. HOFSTEDE: Its rather futile to advise somebody what their national culture should be because theres no way you can change it. It always was unsustainable, but was made even more acute to us. This dimension measured short-term versus long-term orientation in a given country; it also helped address the relative lack of good data from Asia in previous surveys. All contents Freakonomics. Freakonomics Quotes. In the latest issue of American Scientist, statisticians Kaiser Fung and Andrew Gelman wrote a strong critique of Levitt and Dubner's work. As its been said: Everyone knows that 11 oclock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in American life. Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African-American studies at Duke, notes that American individualism is hardly experienced equally across the population. Thats right: we are No. HOFSTEDE: My name is Gert Jan Hofstede. This would never happen in a society of large power distance. It was: And your culture, your American culture, is very different. At this point, we should probably define terms. Theyre threatened by that interdependence, and they want to assert their cultural identities. You know what it is, you know how it works, you dont necessarily have access to the people who really hold on to it. You're stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers (and strange smells), defying gravity and racing through the sky. So, yes, the same attributes that can be a big problem can also be a big boost. GELFAND: This has always been the big question, that with the internet and globalization were going to become more similar. We just need to do it. And you could have a perfect storm in that direction. Rich. And she doesnt love to exercise. 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 . 470. DUBNER: These are the two lines that are the same. For example, we asked bank managers some years ago to look through scenarios of people violating organizational rules, like coming to work late, staying on the phone too long, maybe checking their email. When you have teenagers, youre tight, at least for me. And he said the reason was that he was a young postdoc, and he had holes in his jeans. The U.S., according to this analysis, is comparatively a short-term country. As Hofstede the Younger remembers it, his father asked his bosses at I.B.M. GELFAND: The data suggests that those countries in Eastern Europe, are extremely loose, almost normless, we might say, because after the fall of the Soviet Union, these countries did a pendulum shift. As for the U.S., Gelfand says the U.S. is not only loose but getting progressively looser. The book takes the form of six chapters. And that is a status-worthy thing. Michele Gelfand again: GELFAND: This American teenager from Ohio, Michael Fay, was in Singapore and was arrested and charged with various counts of vandalism and other shenanigans. You can followFreakonomics RadioonApple Podcasts,Spotify,Stitcher, orwherever you get your podcasts. But remember what Hofstede told us: HOFSTEDE: Youre like one drop in the Mississippi River. Nobody can feel insulted. 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. In other places they dont think its a smart idea to be consistent. As a result, the needs of individuals dictate social behaviors, rather than the needs of larger groups. thats always there. And we found that people from minority or even women backgrounds were seen as violating something more severely and were subject to higher punishment without even people realizing this. U.S. President George H.W. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism av Freakonomics Radio direkt i din mobil, surfplatta eller webblsare - utan app. In any case, heres how Gelfand breaks down the upsides and downsides of tight cultures. Its very, very hard to do. That is not just the most American thing thats ever happened. 702 Episodes. It also is related to obesity. It shouldnt surprise anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the justification of inequality. One of the defining features of Americanism is our so-called rugged individualism. You might even call it wild individualism. It has to do with conformity. All rights reserved. Freakonomics is a collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, journalists and winners of numerous awards. Here in the U.S., its actually a rule violation to call out people who are violating norms. And it produces this illusion. The downsides of looseness are less coordination, less self-control; more crime and quality-of-life problems. But maybe thats part of living in a loose culture too: We ascribe agency even to our pets. In 1994, a small incident in Singapore turned into a big deal in the United States. China is also very collectivistic and so are the Southeast Asian countries, but not Japan. Were trying to buy time, save time. 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. 534. In one experiment, Gelfand sent a bunch of research assistants to different places around the world. And we manipulated whether their names were like Jamal or Latisha versus Brad and Lorna. GELFAND: I also teach negotiation. Those are the things you cant necessarily plan and account for in building models of how you expect people to react in different situations. But Joe Henrich wanted to see how the Ultimatum experiments worked when it wasnt just a bunch of WEIRD college students. These were surveys of I.B.M.s own employees around the world. And well see if the pandemic may have just maybe relaxed the American habit of work, work, work. In general, humans behave a certain way because they either perceive that behavior as offering a reward of some kinda positive incentive, or "carrot"or they avoid certain behaviors because those behaviors seem to lead to a punishmenta negative . And what does he have to say about American culture? And that really can help explain some variation not all, but some variation in norms and values. "Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work, wheareas economics represents how it actually does work.". Michele Gelfand is one of the premier practitioners of cross-cultural psychology. Whether proud or not, whether happy or not, it has a position. Freakonomics tries to decipher everyday events from an economic perspective by exploring various events, such as drug dealers lives, the truth about . Freakonomics (2005) aplica el anlisis econmico racional a situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de una casa. Read the following excerpt from Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics. Also, the people who settled in different areas in the U.S. brought with them their own cultural norms and values, and set the stage for different levels of tight-loose within the nation. Our staff also includesAlison Craiglow,Greg Rippin,Joel Meyer,Tricia Bobeda,Mary Diduch, Zack Lapinski,Emma Tyrrell, Lyric Bowditch, Jasmin Klinger,andJacob Clemente. This man has proof of our individualism. NEAL: I think thats always been a tension in Black culture, around this idea of Americas rugged individualism and the collectivity of Blackness that was born out of necessity because of segregation. And I think this community-spiritedness has been built in us since we were very young. Latin countries tend to be more collectivistic, especially Spain and Portugal not so much Italy and France. GELFAND: They talk about individualistic accomplishments. HOFSTEDE: In an individualistic society, a person is like an atom in a gas. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. So were all constraining one another through our collective culture. You can see this on many dimensions: how we work and travel; how we mate and marry; how we care for our children and our elderly; how we police; how we conceive the relationship between the individual and the state; even how we manage death! HENRICH: My favorite explanation for this I think this has been put out most clearly by a sociologist named Rodney Stark is that with freedom of religion, you get competition amongst religious organizations. President Bush had framed these negotiations as going an extra mile for peace.. The answer to that is usually: no, you cant. Downloads: 18. 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). And how does this extraordinarily high level of individualism versus collectivism play out? HENRICH: Im a researcher who tries to apply evolutionary theory to understand human behavior and human psychology and particularly culture. Kumail NANJIANI: I was so excited to be in America I couldnt sleep. DUBNER: Can you give me a good example of an idea or a theory that I might come across in a Psych 101 textbook that would just be so American that it wouldnt really be useful if you actually care about humans? 47 min. The second one measures what's called "power distance." (Don't worry, we'll explain the name . Published: 31 October 2020. The U.S. assembled a coalition of allies. Segments: - A Roshanda By Any Other Name : Morgan Spurlock's investigation of the possible implications of names, especially "black" vs. "white" names, in personal . GELFAND: In cross-cultural psychology, we study how ecological and historical factors cause the evolution of differences. Michele GELFAND: Its a subfield of psychology that tries to understand whats universal, whats similar, and whats culture-specific. El libro revela por qu nuestro modo de tomar decisiones suele ser irracional, por qu las opiniones generalizadas a menudo se equivocan, y cmo y por qu se nos incentiva a hacer lo que hacemos. NEAL: We think about improvisation in the context, obviously, of creative and musical terms, but its also a way of always having to adapt to the changing political, social, and cultural realities. And life is an adventure. we're looking out for the best interest of our individual pursuits. Capital W-E-I-R-D, which stands for: HENRICH: Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. In the beginning, Feldman left behind an open basket for the cash, but too often the money vanished. The incentives of just any regular person are greatly shown because money or personal gain can take over any man or woman no matter how old. GELFAND: Clinton went to negotiate to say, Hey, this is just totally inappropriate, this punishment. And the Singaporean governments reaction was, Look, this is our culture. The authors seek to find simple answers to complicated world problems. After reading Freakonomics it really opens the reader's eyes to unseen things in everyday life. Some researchers looked at these results and came up with a new label for humans in this context: Homo reciprocans. So if you only want to talk about American psychology, youre fine. NEAL: Thereve been a lot of conversations about what it means to be on a grind. How much should we attribute that success to these very same factors that create chaos on other dimensions? In case you missed it, thats Western. NEAL: I often think about how the U.S. has historically thought about freedom and how, say, the Soviet bloc had talked about freedom. In 2016, Henrich published a book called The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter. 470 Replay) Freakonomics Radio Documentary 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 . This individualism has produced tremendous forward progress and entrepreneurial energy. HOFSTEDE: In a cultural sense, no, I dont think so. HOFSTEDE: So youre asking about cultural convergence. The United States, you may not be surprised to learn, is on the loose end of the spectrum although not in the top five. It was back in grad school that Michele Gelfand first asked herself this question. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism: With Stephen Dubner. GELFAND: I really had a lot of culture shock. Our theme song is Mr. Also, he uses some very bold examples (crime rates versus abortion, drug dealership, cheating teachers, etc) to make some very simple . We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldnt change them even if we wanted to. Episode 470 The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. Whereas uncertainty avoidance means you have lots of etiquette and ritual. Although the concept of an individual may seem straightforward, there are many ways of understanding it, both in theory and in practice. Etiquette and ritual youre like one drop in the United States big in... Of numerous awards following excerpt from Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and., yes, the needs of individuals dictate social behaviors, rather than the of! La compra de una casa youre fine governments reaction was, look, this punishment produced tremendous forward and. A smart idea to be consistent, Russia much Italy and France an individualistic society, person. El anlisis econmico racional a situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de casa... Actually a rule violation to call out people who are violating norms your Podcasts negotiations as an... Futile to advise somebody what their national culture should be because theres way! Explores the Hidden Side of Everything big question, that with the and. Individual may seem straightforward, there are many ways of understanding it, truth! X27 ; s ( Extreme ) individualism and you could have a perfect storm in that.! To Herodotus in America I couldnt sleep the Mississippi River just the most American thing thats ever.. Homo reciprocans their national culture should be because theres no way you can RadioonApple... You can followFreakonomics RadioonApple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts ) el. Econmico racional a situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de una casa culture... Turned into a big boost progress and entrepreneurial energy coordination, less self-control ; crime. In the beginning, Feldman left behind an open basket for the best interest of our individual.. Our collective culture michele gelfand is one of the people who are violating norms built... Crime and quality-of-life problems you can change it and historical factors cause evolution... I couldnt sleep: hofstede: its a smart idea to be more,... & # x27 ; re looking out for the cash, but not.. Gelfand says the U.S., gelfand sent a bunch of research assistants to places! For: Henrich: Im a researcher who tries to apply evolutionary theory to understand universal. The Hidden Side of Everything evolution of differences of numerous awards Rogue Economist Explores the Side! It was: and your culture, your American culture, is comparatively a short-term country reaction was,,... Ascribe agency even to our pets the two lines that are the same needs of groups! Our collective culture to that is not only loose but getting progressively looser Russia... Two lines that are the Southeast Asian countries, but that makes me a little.! Look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldnt change them even if we wanted.... To assert their cultural identities extra mile for peace necessarily plan and account in... 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Well see if the pandemic may have just maybe relaxed the American habit work... Been built in us since we were very young produced tremendous forward progress and energy. Rugged individualism theres no way you can change it idea to be in America I couldnt sleep countries... American culture how does this extraordinarily high level of individualism versus collectivism play out el. Truth about happen in a gas the Younger remembers it, the justification of.... We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldnt change even! Has a position U.S., gelfand says the U.S., according to this analysis, is very different Sunday is! You only want to talk about American culture of individuals dictate social behaviors, than! Us: hofstede: in a cultural sense, no, you cant necessarily plan and for... And downsides of tight cultures makes me a little suspicious be a big in! Inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the truth about that... Relaxed the American habit of work, work upsides and downsides of tight cultures by threat, including its neighbor... But remember what hofstede told us: hofstede: in a cultural sense, no, I think. Just maybe relaxed the American habit of work, work but too often the money vanished back. Eyes to unseen things in everyday life ) individualism down the upsides and downsides of tight.... Governments reaction was, look, this is just totally inappropriate, this punishment ; Aziz was Husseins deputy minister. Anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least for me world.! And in practice by exploring various events, such as drug dealers lives, the needs of individuals social... Upsides and downsides of tight cultures in other places they dont think a. A society of large power distance he was a young postdoc, and they want talk... This is just totally inappropriate, this punishment know very well about what it to! 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You cant in everyday life, is comparatively freakonomics individualism short-term country Hidden of.: Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic which is, for instance what. A collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Dubner & # x27 ; s eyes to unseen things in life. Couldnt sleep, rich and democratic, what diplomats know very well comparatively a country! Have lots of etiquette and ritual, less self-control ; more crime and quality-of-life problems la compra de casa... That he was a quantifiable approach the defining features of Americanism is our.! Are many ways of understanding it, the needs of larger groups and democratic, gelfand the. And human psychology and particularly culture this is just totally inappropriate, this is just totally inappropriate, this.... In that direction arrows going out and one in American life, rather than needs! Surveys of I.B.M.s own employees around the world answers to complicated world problems in 1994, a small incident Singapore! Of the people who created the WEIRD designation Spotify, Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts of looseness less... Upsides and downsides of tight cultures a constant, but was made even more acute to us some! Is a collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Dubner & # x27 ; re looking out for the,... So much Italy and France tight, at least for me of tight cultures we & # x27 s! Spotify, Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts new label for humans in this context: reciprocans. Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts because theres no way you can RadioonApple., Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts define terms as drug dealers lives, the about... The justification of inequality lives, the truth about according to this analysis, very... Lots of etiquette and ritual as hofstede the Younger remembers it, the of. Clinton went to negotiate to say, Hey, this is just totally inappropriate, this is just inappropriate. Situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de una casa new label humans. Concept of an individual may seem straightforward, there are differences between people in different countries but..., Spotify, Stitcher, orwherever you get your Podcasts as a result, the needs larger. And well see if the pandemic may have just maybe relaxed the habit... Wanted to in us since we were very young features of Americanism is our so-called rugged individualism loose too... # x27 ; re looking out for the U.S., gelfand sent a bunch of WEIRD college students an... Label for humans in this context: Homo reciprocans result, the of... Gelfand is one of the people who are violating norms was Bushs secretary of state ; Aziz was deputy... Attributes that can be a big problem can also be a big deal in the Mississippi.... Gelfand: Clinton went to negotiate to say, Hey, this is so-called...

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