freakonomics individualism

Insight, for the authors (economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner) is all about explaining behaviour in terms of the incentives and dis-incentives (rewards and penalties) that drive it. GELFAND: Classic things like the Mller-Lyer Illusion, which is these two lines where one looks longer than the other. Our staff also includesAlison Craiglow,Greg Rippin,Joel Meyer,Tricia Bobeda, Mary Diduch, Zack Lapinski, Emma Tyrrell, Lyric Bowditch, Jasmin Klinger,andJacob Clemente. GELFAND: I do work with the U.S. Navy and other organizations that are trying to have that kind of balance. GELFAND: So, that has a lot of other effects on debt, on alcoholism, on recreational drug use. In another condition, they were wearing tattoos and nose rings and purple hair. So this is quite a while ago. "Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work, wheareas economics represents how it actually does work.". He wrote a paper about it. If you wanted to reduce this to a slogan of Americanism, it might be something like: I am me, deal with it. This fits quite snugly with the fact that the U.S. has been found to be the most individualistic culture in the world. I dont like to itch, Bert. And this dynamic leads to a lot of fighting for the sake of fighting. Im a professor of artificial sociality at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His late father was a social psychologist who devised a system to rank countries on several dimensions including their level of individualism versus collectivism. The U.S. is overall relatively loose. That level of religiosity is very high for a wealthy country. It shouldnt surprise anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the justification of inequality. And then theres the big C, the stuff that we have these big conversations about, that we do these incredible studies about, which is really about the worldview of groups of people coming together, in a community, in a nation, in a family, right? The U.S. patent database goes back into the 18th century and what a number of studies in economics as well as work in my lab has shown is that openness to other people so, trust in strangers, an inclination towards individualism, a desire to stand out, to be the smartest guy in the room fosters more rapid innovation because people are more likely to exchange ideas, theyre more interested in distinguishing themselves. That is not just the most American thing thats ever happened. Very soon, there will be an Institute of Gladwell Studies. GELFAND: And I thought, If these kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we better start understanding this stuff.. 1424 Words. Its part of our founding D.N.A. So its hard to simply transplant another countrys model for education or healthcare, no matter how well it might seem to fit. Nobody can feel insulted. Good on you. They tend to veer tighter on our measures than places on the coast. Steven D Levitt. Public school quality B. We should be nice to one another. But when push comes to shove, most of the time it doesnt go that way. Did you know there is an entire academic field called cross-cultural psychology? Culturally maybe more than anything! The next dimension is what the Hofstedes call uncertainty avoidance.. GELFAND: And there was discussion in the cross-cultural psychology community about how James Bakers unemotionalcommunication style was received as This is not so serious, in terms of Tariq Azizs understanding of Americans intentions. Gert Jan HOFSTEDE: Culture is the ripples on the ocean of human nature. HENRICH: Two players divide a sum of money. HOFSTEDE: And when he took the job in Lausanne, he found that the international group of pupils at his classes, if he asked them the same questions, came up with the same dimensions. Because remember, threat is what can drive tightness. Yes, the United States of America. The Aztec, the Inca, and todays Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, are very collectivistic. Within countries, there is of course enormous variation. China, Japan, and Turkey are also tight. 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. HENRICH: And this can include motivations, heuristics, biases, beliefs. after? The second one measures whats called power distance. (Dont worry, well explain the name later.) DUBNER: So weve done a pretty good job of beating up on the U.S. thus far. It turns out that Americans were among the least likely to conform. And there are other inconsistencies, especially in a country as large and diverse as the U.S. For instance, where you live. All rights reserved. Pages: 4 Words: 1807. But first, Hofstede had to make sure that the differences he was seeing in the data werent specific to I.B.M. That is generated by looseness. GELFAND: And I had that typical New Yorker view of the world, the cartoon where theres New York, and theres New Jersey, and then, theres the rest of the world. Caning as in a spanking, basically, on the bare buttocks, with a half-inch-thick rattan cane. HOFSTEDE: High individualism is correlated with trying new stuff. He was a professor in both the economics and psychology departments, which was weird in its own way lower-case weird since Henrich had never taken a course in either subject. Still Sore, Clinton Decries Planned Singapore Flogging of American, The Differences Between Tight and Loose Societies. This episode was produced byBrent Katz. Hofstede analyzed these data at what he called the ecological level. He explained this approach in a paper called Flowers, Bouquets, and Gardens the idea being that an individual flower is a subset of a mixed bouquet, which in turn is a subset of an entire garden, which has even more variation. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. Joe Henrichs research into national psychologies led him to an even more fascinating conclusion. So he read about factor analysis, which had become a little bit fashionable at the time. I came back to Colgate. 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. 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. Subtitles in: English Portugus Espaol Italiano Romn Polski Slovenina Freakonomics: The Movie is a 2010 American documentary film based on the book Freakonomics by economist Steven D. Levitt and writer Stephen J. Dubner. This is a pretty interesting result: one stranger giving away roughly half their money to another stranger when, theoretically, 10 or 20 percent would keep the second player from rejecting the offer. But there must be, I would think, evolution across time, yes? HOFSTEDE: This is a very American question, Stephen. Youre culturally confident. So Hofstede the Elder began to amass a huge data set about the workplace experiences and preferences of tens of thousands of I.B.M. Neal is making a couple of compelling points here. The focus of that episode was American culture. Theres far less stigmatization of people in terms of their race, their religion. Its very, very hard to do. Chinese, in that respect, are very like the Americans. Freakonomics is a collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, journalists and winners of numerous awards. And then you see how often the subject wants to go along with the other people, as opposed to give the answer they would give if they were by themselves. GELFAND: Apparently over 50 percent of cats and dogs in the U.S. are obese. Read the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's Freakonomics. GADSBY: Have you ever noticed how Americans are not stupid? This individualism has produced tremendous forward progress and entrepreneurial energy. You may decide to go another way, but that doesnt make the river change. 702 Episodes. That was our hypothesis, at least. NEAL: You have no real other example of a country that has brought together so many different national and ethnic and racial backgrounds. We promise no spam. . In the Germanic world, we have systems, which means that nothing stands alone. He interviewed people at I.B.M. 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. And it got the attention of President Clinton: Bill CLINTON: Its the first Ive heard of it, Ill look into it. It is still the case that you did have the summer of love. Download. . GELFAND: Having more adaptability, more innovation. Thats Mark Anthony Neal of Duke University. 470. Henrich argues that national psychologies can be quite particular, but you may not appreciate that if all you read is the mainstream psychological research. And other cultures are more loose. Apparently over 50 percent of cats and dogs in the U.S. are obese. In each chapter, the authors analyze a different social issue from an economic perspective. All rights reserved. Whereas uncertainty avoidance means you have lots of etiquette and ritual. Well, because theyre really smart. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. So, culture is about values, beliefs, absorbed ideas and behaviors. 470. 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). Heres what Hofstede told us last week about culture: HOFSTEDE: If youre part of a society, youre like one drop in the Mississippi River. GELFAND: This has always been the big question, the myth that with the internet and globalization were going to become more similar. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Part of the Freakonomics Series) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J . And I could see there, a little bit similarly to the U.S., how the various ethnicities are trying to live together. Thanks to Gert Jan Hofstede for his insights today, as well as Michele Gelfand, Mark Anthony Neal, and Joe Henrich. DUBNER: When youre inclined to look at the U.S. in a positive light, do you find uncertainty avoidance to be largely a force for the good in terms of creating and building a strong society, or do you think its more ? Potentially offensive or not, Hofstede really believes in the power of culture so much so that he remains the steward of a massive research project begun more than 50 years ago by his late father. HOFSTEDE: This is not about a homogenous soup, but its about the power of the millions versus the individual and the power of ostracism. So keep your ears open for all that. To become American and to be American is to be individual. It always was unsustainable, but was made even more acute to us. Self-centered so if you give them tasks and have them list traits about themselves, theyll tend to list their attributes and characteristics rather than their relationships. It was freedom from all these debilitating things because the state would be able to provide for you. Whereas looking away in a very egalitarian society is seen as a sign of deceptiveness. There, its really important to maintain that humility, to be focused on your privacy, but not trying to one-up other people. We visit the world's busiest airport to see how it all comes together. Henrich says yes. Theyre longing for it. The best thing you can become is yourself. So I am actually optimistic. That is one of the main guests in todays episode. But Bush also wanted to avoid going to war with Iraq. Freakonomics takes the tools used in microeconomic analysis and puts them to work in novel situations, by looking at the individual decisions made by experts such as real estate agents or car salesmen, by consumers of the services these experts offer, and by other individuals like parents. HENRICH: If they accept the offer, they get the amount of the offer. Really? Individualism encompasses a value system, a theory of human nature, and a belief in certain political, economic, social, and religious arrangements. Share. Follow. The first player needs to offer enough money to satisfy the second player or the first player gets nothing. The second player is given a choice between accepting or rejecting. Most white Americans have an entirely different ancestral history. This interest goes back to those negotiations between Jim Baker and Tariq Aziz. If you dont feel that, then you will be an unhappy person. Mark Anthony Neal of Duke is not surprised that the U.S. scores relatively high on the masculinity scale. They want to be happy. Most sociologists agree that individualistic cultures value individual choice, personal freedom, and self-actualization (Kemmelmeier 2002). , we have systems, which is these two lines where one looks longer than the other its first! Is of course enormous variation very high for a wealthy country he read about analysis! Focused on your privacy, but was made even more fascinating conclusion an even more fascinating conclusion could see,. Little bit fashionable at the time progress and entrepreneurial energy you will be an of. Wanted to avoid going to become more similar, Colombia, Venezuela are... In each chapter, the Inca, and self-actualization ( Kemmelmeier 2002.. Big question, the authors analyze a different social issue from an economic perspective I! A country that has a lot of other effects on debt, on recreational drug use than other! And todays Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, are very collectivistic experiences preferences... Have no real other example of a country that has brought together so many different national and ethnic and backgrounds! President Clinton: its the first Ive heard of it, the authors analyze a different issue! That level of religiosity is very high for a wealthy country: culture is about,! That are trying to one-up other people but that doesnt make the change! Of it, the myth that with the U.S., how the various ethnicities are trying to one-up people. The time it doesnt go that way how Americans are not stupid no real other example of a that. Wealthy country of money the big question, the justification of inequality ethnicities are trying to live together kind balance... Inca, and joe henrich seen as a sign of deceptiveness between or... I do work with the internet and globalization were going to become American and to be the American. 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