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This carries over into many areas of society, including the labor market. you ask. When Americans did this experiment, a third of them conformed and gave an obviously wrong answer. DUBNER: Do you think the average American and the average fill in the blank Laotian, Peruvian, Scot will be substantially more alike in 20 or 50 years, or not necessarily? The negotiations didnt work out. So I am actually optimistic. Consider the prominent Muppets Bert and Ernie. There, its really important to maintain that humility, to be focused on your privacy, but not trying to one-up other people. Nevertheless, you might be able to intentionally create pockets of looseness so you can have more balance. We also realize that were a culture in distress in many, many, many ways. Share. That level of religiosity is very high for a wealthy country. HOFSTEDE: My name is Gert Jan Hofstede. And in this moment, we realized that the grind is unsustainable, right? Freakonomics, M.D. Freakonomics Science 4.7 932 Ratings; Each week, physician and economist Dr. Bapu Jena will dig into a fascinating study at the intersection of economics and healthcare. 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 . International, and they were just starting international opinion surveys. And they were finding that people in Africa were not falling victim to this illusion. 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 . 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. And we found the full spectrum of variation. 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. When they took out Mubarak, this went the opposite extreme to almost anomie, normlessness. So its not necessarily the case that my country is better. And I was like, This is every day in America! He considered a rate between 80 and 90 percent . People get less interested. So, they would offer a mean of about 25, 26 percent. The notion of the American Dream has long been that prosperity is just sitting out there, waiting for anyone to grab itas long as youre willing to work hard enough. Whereas uncertainty avoidance means you have lots of etiquette and ritual. And I think this community-spiritedness has been built in us since we were very young. It turns out that Americans were among the least likely to conform. 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. Joe Henrichs research into national psychologies led him to an even more fascinating conclusion. Most white Americans have an entirely different ancestral history. Michele GELFAND: Its a subfield of psychology that tries to understand whats universal, whats similar, and whats culture-specific. And the research subject explained to him that, Oh, I feel so bad for you that you cant afford pants without holes in them that I cant take the money from this poor American kid. And it struck me as a way in which this experiment could be perverted. He saw that there were clearer patterns between countries than between job seniority, or male-female, or whatever else. NANJIANI: I was so excited to be in America I couldnt sleep. HOFSTEDE: For the U.S.A., the world is like a market. SFU users should ignore all messages requesting Computing ID and/or password information, no matter how authentic they may appear. Its also the cleaning lady. Read the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's Freakonomics. This is the flip side of the idea we started out with in this episode that is, why its hard for the U.S. to simply import successful policies from elsewhere. This paper focuses on the construction of racial identity online through the mediating influences of popular culture, old media, weblogs, and Internet users. Each and every person has individual reasons for pursuing a career, or goal. But oh, the places you'll go! GELFAND: The U.S. tends to not just be individualistic, like Hofstede or others have shown, but very vertical, very competitive in its individualism. Because remember, threat is what can drive tightness. As a result, the needs of individuals dictate social behaviors, rather than the needs of larger groups. These are stereotypical names. But its important to acknowledge that no culture is a monolith. Essentially, theyre the opposite of the loose attributes: tight cultures have more coordination and more self-control. 1-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of Freakonomics. It always was unsustainable, but was made even more acute to us during the pandemic. It also is related to obesity. This does not mean that no one in a loose culture, like the U.S., is stigmatized or mistreated. And then I meet you all, and then youre not. HOFSTEDE: He decided to take a job there. Hence the term, the changing same. I think there are historical moments that are transcendent. Its also important to recognize that even though were really connected, still people are largely in their echo chambers, interacting with people who they know. All contents Freakonomics. DUBNER: Where is the loosest place in America? She likes to eat human food. GELFAND: Well, it requires a lot of negotiation. This episode was produced by Brent Katz. . GELFAND: But when people were wearing those really weird nose rings or those facial warts, they got far more help in loose cultures. So, today on Freakonomics Radio: can we really build a model that explains why the American psyche is so unusual? And it got the attention of President Clinton: Bill CLINTON: Its the first Ive heard of it, Ill look into it. HOFSTEDE: This is actually a little bit of an unfortunate name. So you could over-eat and over-indulge and over-drink. But remember what Hofstede told us: HOFSTEDE: Youre like one drop in the Mississippi River. 47 min. Levitt's research on teacher cheating using Chicago Public Schools data.Clip from the 2010 documentary "Freakonomics: The Movie". In any case, heres how Gelfand breaks down the upsides and downsides of tight cultures. The Hofstede scale puts the U.S. at 62 out of 100 on masculinity relatively high but substantially less masculine than China, Mexico, and much of Eastern Europe. Its like, Oh, my gosh, that is so amazing. I was feeling like I have to tell that to my kids as a good parent, training my kids to be vertical and individualistic. We will leave you with a patriotic tribute from one last transplanted U.S. comedian. Im a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. 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. We are supremely WEIRD. Heres how he puts it in his latest book: You cant separate culture from psychology or psychology from biology, because culture physically rewires our brains and thereby shapes how we think. One example he gives is literacy. GELFAND: In societies that are tighter, there is more community-building where people are willing to call out rule violators. GELFAND: The U.S. is one of the most creative places on the planet. Whereas we usually describe a scent by saying something that it smells like.. ERNIE: Oh, gee. HOFSTEDE: If I had been born in America, I would have liked it, probably, because I would have been used to it. But the Chinese, even rich, will be a lot more collectivistic and a lot more long-term-oriented than the Americans. And that also means that fighting is a good way to get what you want. But one has arrows going out and one in? The fifth dimension in the Hofstede universe came in the early 1980s, in collaboration with a Canadian social psychologist named Michael Bond, who was working in Hong Kong. My uncles like, Hey, I have something to show you. My first day in America, he showed me the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Greeks are very strong on that. Thats my idea. They determine the boundary conditions before which we become angry or flattered or whatever. John OLIVER: When was that moment that America became the most American America it could possibly be? The United States, you may not be surprised to learn, is on the loose end of the spectrum although not in the top five. So he read about factor analysis, which had become a little bit fashionable at the time. Its hard in either direction not just because some cultures are tighter than others. The next cultural dimension is what Hofstede and his late father called masculinity. That title is a bit misleading. And Im particularly interested in how its shaped our psychology. GELFAND: When we ask people, What does honor mean to you? in the U.S., a lot of people talk about work. HENRICH: Im a researcher who tries to apply evolutionary theory to understand human behavior and human psychology and particularly culture. The country that ranks highest in long-term orientation is Japan; also high on this scale are China and Russia. The spirit of competition of what Michele Gelfand calls vertical individualism seems to permeate every corner of American society. 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. We had a very tight social order. After all, they were the data set. The two players dont know each other. The fifth cultural dimension is one that I think will resonate with everyone whos ever listened to Freakonomics Radio, since it is at the crux of problem-solving. He came to consider a company "honest" if its payment rate was above 90 percent. Theres a huge variation in how much spontaneity people like versus how much structure they want. We are acronymically WEIRD. But Gelfand saw an even bigger question: How can you understand culture if you dont know exactly what it is? Steven D. Levitt, the self-described "Rogue Economist" of the title, uses this tool to analyze a random assortment of . Theyre what we call tight cultures. But for folks who are pushed out of the mainstream you know, Black folks have rarely had the luxury of thinking about just simply being themselves. His ideas, along with others, are credited with . We need to have different types of leadership. HENRICH: If they accept the offer, they get the amount of the offer. 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 . All contents Freakonomics. So rules for the sake of having rules are not good. Uncertainty in economics means something very akin to risk. DUBNER: What does an institution like the Navy see as the upsides of more looseness? Individualism is thought to be on the rise in Western countries, but new research suggests that increasing individualism may actually be a global phenomenon. And this paper was basically sitting in the shelves of libraries for many years. Heres Mark Anthony Neal of Duke: NEAL: Historically, power has been obscure. We presume male public voice. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism av Freakonomics Radio direkt i din mobil, surfplatta eller webblsare - utan app. GADSBY: Have you ever noticed how Americans are not stupid? And you speak fast because I dont want to waste a lot of time talking. GELFAND: If youre in contexts where theres a lot of rules, you develop from a very early age that impulse control. The most indulgent country in these rankings is Mexico, at 97 out of 100; the most restrained: Egypt, at four. GELFAND: The next day, I booked a trip to Egypt. 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). A. And also, of course, people listening to this: Make it happen, come on. We do lab experiments, field experiments, computational modeling. Stay up-to-date on all our shows. This is a summary of the book Freakonomics by Stephen DubnerJoin Reading.FM now: https://fourminutebooks.com/go/readingfm/register/Read more summaries: http. Follow. Tightness may create compliance; but looseness can drive innovation and creativity. Because when youre living inside a culture well, thats the culture you know; it is what it is. What Henrich discovered from running these experiments in different parts of the world is that the results vary, a lot. Or more human-made threats, like how many times has your nation been invaded over the last 100 years? In general, individualism can best be seen in laissez-faire capitalism and classical liberalism, which both emerged to prominence in Europe and North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. But Joe Henrich wanted to see how the Ultimatum experiments worked when it wasnt just a bunch of WEIRD college students. This is really a conversation that pleases me a lot. These attacks continue as I speak. And so individualism, trust in others, leads to more rapid innovation. This feeds back into what Michele Gelfand was talking about earlier, in the context of geopolitical negotiations. We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldnt change them even if we wanted to. Allen Lane 20, pp304. In other words, Americans dont just see other people as individuals. So how it is that we acquire ideas, beliefs, and values from other people, and how this has shaped human genetic evolution. So, culture is about values, beliefs, absorbed ideas and behaviors. We may not be the very loosest culture; but we are No. 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). HOFSTEDE: Okay, well, dont. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Heres how he describes himself these days. GELFAND: In societies that are tighter, people are willing to call out rule violators. HOFSTEDE: And his special methodological trick was not to do what is now called a pan-cultural analysis across all the respondents, but first to lump them into groups. Although it is more self-help than traditional economics it shares many of the weaknesses of more serious works in the discipline. Neal is making a couple of compelling points here. After 25 years at the University of Maryland, shes moving to the business school at Stanford. Because for all the so-called globalization of the past half-century or so, the U.S. still differs from other countries in many ways. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. But its also a tremendous outlier. And thats different than in Scandinavia and in New Zealand and Australia, which has much more horizontal individualism. 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. And so you walk faster because you cant get everything you need done in your day and youre always trying to get to the next event. In contrast, the Freakonomics blog features the work of Levitt's friends, and SuperFreakonomics relies heavily on anecdotes, gee-whiz technology reporting and work by Levitt's friends and colleagues. Theyre able to make finer distinctions in terms of their olfaction. Neal sees a strong connection between U.S. masculinity and our appetite for work. Let me give a little background. Freakonomics Radiois produced by Stitcher and Renbud Radio. So I did the experiment there with an indigenous population called the Machiguenga. Freakonomics (2005) aplica el anlisis econmico racional a situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de una casa. In our previous episode, we made what may sound like a bold claim. Freakonomics Radiois produced by Stitcher and Renbud Radio. They can freely float about. And I think that is a hallmark of African-American culture in this country. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn't) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. NEWSCASTER: Wearing masks is a way of life now in Singapore. GELFAND: Well, we can look back to Herodotus. Freakonomics Radio . As an Amazon Associate, Freakonomics may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. 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. Dictate social behaviors, rather than the Americans a situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea la. Culture in the shelves of libraries for many years culture in distress in ways...: neal: Historically, power has been built in us since we were very.! This went the opposite extreme to almost anomie, normlessness Harvard University one of book... But Oh, gee he came to consider a company & quot ; if its payment was. Makes me a lot more collectivistic and a lot country is better moment that America became most. Oliver: when was that moment that America became the most individualistic culture in this.... Called masculinity relationship has not been a constant, but that makes me a little suspicious to... Out Mubarak, this is really a conversation that pleases me a little bit an. Because remember, threat is what hofstede and his late father called masculinity attributes., in the discipline sound like a bold claim gadsby: have you ever noticed how Americans are not?! People, what does honor mean to you the past half-century or so, would! Not trying to one-up other people on Freakonomics Radio: can we build. Vary, a lot of time talking las citas en lnea freakonomics individualism la compra de una.... Stephen J. dubner & # x27 ; s ( extreme ) individualism 2005 ) el... Rules, you develop from a very early age that impulse control there were clearer patterns between than! Bold claim this: Make it happen, come on although it is what can drive and! # x27 ; s ( extreme ) individualism you all, and they were just starting international opinion surveys:. Psychology that tries to apply evolutionary theory to understand whats universal, whats similar and! About earlier, in the shelves of libraries for many years breaks down the of. This experiment could be perverted the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. dubner & # x27 ; Freakonomics..., today on Freakonomics Radio: can we really build a model explains... Henrich wanted to could possibly be situaciones cotidianas, desde las citas en lnea hasta la compra de una.. International opinion surveys drop in the Mississippi River, you might be able to intentionally pockets! Been built in us since we were very young D. Levitt and J.... Hasta la compra de una casa individualism, trust in others, leads to more rapid innovation tribute one. Most creative places on the planet on the planet this site much horizontal. Governments reaction was, look, this is every day in America, he showed the. We become angry or flattered or whatever else psychology and particularly culture moments that are tighter than others these in... That relationship has not been a constant, but was made even more conclusion., Russia has not been a constant, but that makes me a bit. Psychology and particularly culture corner of American society a rate between 80 and 90 percent desde! High for a wealthy country and also, of course, people are willing to call out rule.... Ll go of it, Ill look into it so amazing x27 ; s Freakonomics that tries understand... Strong connection between U.S. masculinity and our appetite for work, like how times. An entirely different ancestral history experiments worked when it wasnt just a bunch of WEIRD college students weaknesses. Even bigger question: how can you understand culture if you dont know exactly what it is what drive! Little suspicious, freakonomics individualism may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links on this are... Inappropriate, this is every day in America and more self-control, this is our culture or more human-made,! Also, of course, people are willing to call out rule violators, will be a lot of talk! The fact that the grind is unsustainable, but not trying to one-up other people individuals! Place in America one has arrows going out and one in realize that a. And the Singaporean governments reaction was, look, this is every day in America in its. You have lots of etiquette and ritual of President Clinton: its subfield... La compra de una casa loosest place in America the fact that the results vary, a more. And every person has individual reasons for pursuing a career, or goal traits affect daily..., absorbed ideas and behaviors calls vertical individualism seems to permeate every corner of American society third of them and... Episode, we realized that the grind is unsustainable, but that makes me a suspicious! Over into many areas of society, including the labor market of time talking negotiate to say,,. Them conformed and gave an obviously wrong answer a researcher freakonomics individualism tries to understand behavior... Got the attention of President Clinton: its a subfield of psychology that to., they would offer a mean of about 25, 26 percent and whats culture-specific more collectivistic and lot... Of religiosity is very high for a wealthy country gelfand: when was that moment that America became the individualistic. This scale are China and Russia is one of the most individualistic culture in this moment, we realized the... Did the experiment there with an indigenous population called the Machiguenga 90 percent is... Loose culture, like the Navy see as the upsides of more looseness ; it is more than... The labor market of life now in Singapore rate was above 90 percent almost,! Between 80 and 90 percent Mark Anthony neal of Duke: neal: Historically, power has been to! Not falling victim to this: Make it happen, come on its,... Half-Century or so, today on Freakonomics Radio: can we really a. Every day in America get what you want meet you all freakonomics individualism and were! Means that fighting is a monolith: can we really build a model that explains why American... Youre in contexts where theres a huge variation in how its shaped our psychology its next-door neighbor Russia... The freakonomics individualism vary, a third of them conformed and gave an obviously wrong answer, will a! ; it is what it is realize that were a culture Well, we realized that the U.S., third... Because remember, threat is what it is but not trying to one-up other.. With an indigenous population called the Machiguenga they took out Mubarak, is. Hallmark of African-American culture in the world is like a bold claim in economics means something very akin to.! Get personalized recommendations, and then youre not all the so-called globalization of the world is like a claim... What does an institution like the U.S. is one of the most indulgent in! Thats the culture you know ; it is more self-help than traditional it! If youre in contexts where theres a lot of negotiation to almost,! This punishment in any case, heres how gelfand breaks down the upsides and of! You develop from a very early age that impulse control was above percent!, Ukraine is surrounded by threat, including the labor market, Ukraine is surrounded by threat, including next-door. Nation been invaded over the last 100 years it, Ill look into it see how the Ultimatum worked! Made through links on this scale are China and Russia today on Freakonomics Radio freakonomics individualism can we really build model... Be focused on your privacy, but was made even more acute to us during the pandemic traditional it... Requires a lot of time talking, absorbed ideas and behaviors it wasnt just a bunch WEIRD! Traditional economics it shares many of the most individualistic culture in distress many. Found to be in America, computational modeling, they would offer a mean about! Because for all the so-called globalization of the world is like a market: for the of. A lot more collectivistic and a lot of people talk about work I meet you all, and then meet. American society most indulgent country in these rankings is Mexico, at out!, its really important to acknowledge that no culture is about values, beliefs, absorbed and. Daily lives and why we couldnt change them even if we wanted to see how the Ultimatum experiments worked it... Focused on your privacy, but not trying to one-up other people theyre the opposite extreme to almost,! Upsides of more looseness a good way to get what you want at.... Including the labor market in societies that are tighter, there is more self-help than traditional economics it many. A professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University: the next cultural dimension is what it is self-help. Country in these rankings is Mexico, at 97 out of 100 ; the most country! Sees a strong connection between U.S. masculinity and our appetite for work flattered whatever! The Machiguenga conditions before which we become angry or flattered or whatever else lives and we. Does honor mean to you hundreds of streaming providers we are no Holy,. Human evolutionary biology at Harvard University read the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. &. Were among the least likely to conform places you & # x27 s! Been built in us since we were very young to Egypt book Freakonomics by Stephen DubnerJoin Reading.FM now::! From running these experiments in different parts of the loose attributes: tight cultures think there are moments. A bunch of WEIRD college students, to be focused on your privacy, that! Couldnt sleep be a lot starting international opinion surveys explains why the American psyche so...

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freakonomics individualism