freakonomics individualism
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. Individualism has had a tremendous impact, not only on culture, but on social theory as well, and political philosophy in particular. When Hofstede the Elder went to work for I.B.M., he got involved with these surveys. Investing, for instance: GELFAND: Theres some research coming from the University of Georgia that found that buying and selling of stocks was more synchronized in tighter cultures as compared to looser cultures. This is a summary of the book Freakonomics by Stephen DubnerJoin Reading.FM now: https://fourminutebooks.com/go/readingfm/register/Read more summaries: http. It is a small price to pay to punish the first player for being so stingy. It always was unsustainable, but was made even more acute to us during the pandemic. The spirit of competition of what Michele Gelfand calls vertical individualism seems to permeate every corner of American society. So I am actually optimistic. HOFSTEDE: You have a democracy. You may have noticed that Hofstede neglected to mention a certain country that we Americans tend to care about quite a bit. And its not because they themselves dont have collective experiences, particularly within ethnicity, but part of the price of becoming American is to give up the collectivity of your ethnic background. Historically, politically, and yes culturally. Industrialized. We may not be the very loosest culture; but we are No. Am I really going to tell my kid how special they are about everything?. All contents Freakonomics. Now, keep in mind this was London, English-speaking London not Uzbekistan or Botswana, even Mexico. HOFSTEDE: Well, if you want an honest answer, I think mainly our own curiosity. At the time, opinion surveys were relatively new; it was especially unusual for a company to survey its own employees. In our previous episode, we made what may sound like a bold claim. 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. HENRICH: This probably wouldnt be in a psych textbook, but something like the Ultimatum game. Its all the levels in the organization. Heres another example: HENRICH: People from more individualistic societies tend to focus on central objects. (8) My years of experience traveling in 100 . The third measures masculinity versus femininity in a given culture. But Bush also wanted to avoid going to war with Iraq. Heres the dean of the National University of Singapores school of public health: YIK-YING TEO: We have a tradition of having national campaigns to galvanize people to proceed in a common direction. But if youre not an economist, if youre a regular human being, you can see why the second player might reject a $1 offer. China is also very collectivistic and so are the Southeast Asian countries, but not Japan. We just need to do it. And you could have a perfect storm in that direction. Thats a crazy, creative solution to try to deal with the pandemic. 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. 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. HOFSTEDE: Okay, well, dont. Its hard in either direction not just because some cultures are tighter than others. What we saw in Egypt was very similar. And that is a status-worthy thing. GELFAND: We have a lot of work to do, theres no question. GELFAND: And it caused a real international crisis because the Singapore government gave him what was then classic punishment, which was caning. Oh say, can you see, the home run I just hit. She grew up in Tasmania. And life is an adventure. The study of culture is a family business for Hofstede. Once you begin looking for evidence, you see an almost infinite array of examples. Follow. The first (and longest) chapter focuses on the role of incentives in human behavior. And I was like, This is every day in America! Nobody can feel insulted. GELFAND: The U.S. is one of the most creative places on the planet. Michael Fay wasnt a tourist; he was living in Singapore with his family, attending an American school. The average U.S. worker puts in nearly six more weeks a year than the typical French or British worker, and 10 weeks more than the average German worker. 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. In other places they dont think its a smart idea to be consistent. Okay, lets get into the six dimensions. The Ultimatum game is famous among social scientists. And in a restrained society, theres going to be suicide. OLIVER: When was that moment when America became the most American America it could possibly be? 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. BERT: Because: you get crumbs in the sheets, thats why. And its by no means easy. Whats a Chaos Muppet? Comprising four main documentary segments, each made by a different director -- including Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock, Taxi to the Dark Side's Alex Gibney, Why We Fight's Eugene Jarecki, and Jesus Camp's Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady-- the film examines . After reading Freakonomics it really opens the reader's eyes to unseen things in everyday life. We visit the world's busiest airport to see . You want to know where you stand which is, for instance, what diplomats know very well. Examples of these comparisons and questions can be seen in the list of contents, with . Neal sees a strong connection between U.S. masculinity and our appetite for work. You're stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers (and strange smells), defying gravity and racing through the sky. Stay up-to-date on all our shows. And how does a scholar like Neal think about culture per se? And it should stay there. Documentary. (but low on "uncertainty avoidance," if that makes you feel better) Loose cultures tend to be found in English-speaking countries as well as Latin-American, Latin-European, and formerly Communist cultures. But oh, the places you'll go! Joe Henrich again: HENRICH: In some societies, people really attend to scent, and they have a complex set of language terms that have the equivalent of basic color categories for scents. Thats what the Ultimatum experiments set out to find. As with most experiments like this, the research subjects were WEIRD usually they were students at the universities where the researchers worked. People who went out to California, I would say if we gave them the tight-loose mindset quiz, they were probably on the looser mindset. It's part of our founding D.N.A. Fortune, by the Hitchhikers; the rest of the music this week was composed byLuis Guerra. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The Freakonomics podcast "Is the American Dream really dead?", mentions five main factors that contribute to social mobility in neighborhoods. ERNIE: Oh, gee. This paper focuses on the construction of racial identity online through the mediating influences of popular culture, old media, weblogs, and Internet users. Theres a huge variation in how much spontaneity people like versus how much structure they want. GELFAND: If youre in contexts where theres a lot of rules, you develop from a very early age that impulse control. On many Freakonomics Radio episodes, well hear about some idea or policy that works well elsewhere in the world but hasnt taken root in the U.S. Because when youre living inside a culture well, thats the culture you know; it is what it is. 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? You may decide to go another way, but that doesnt make the river change. Very soon, there will be an Institute of Gladwell Studies. It was freedom from hunger. 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. Really? (Part 1 of " Freakonomics Radio Takes to the Skies .") Download. 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. People tend to be super-creative and theres a lot of negotiation of rules. 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. You may decide to go another way, but that doesnt make the river change. HENRICH: But if you want to talk about humans, then you have a problem. Yes, other phenomena like how things smell to us. Henrich and a couple of colleagues came up with the WEIRD label when he was teaching at the University of British Columbia. And life is an adventure. HOFSTEDE: He decided to take a job there. HOFSTEDE: Look, guys, we can do it. DUBNER: Where is the loosest place in America? 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. making a claim about his individual experiences and looking for evidence. They tend to veer tighter on our measures than places on the coast. We bring in neuroscience to understand all things cultural. Freakonomics tries to decipher everyday events from an economic perspective by exploring various events, such as drug dealers lives, the truth about . We do this on vacations with my siblings. HOFSTEDE: My name is Gert Jan Hofstede. It was freedom from all these debilitating things because the state would be able to provide for you. HOFSTEDE: Because its true: the very same dimensions under different circumstances, can work the other way. Go out there and make it happen. Here are some things that tend to thrive in highly individual societies: human rights, a free press, divorce, and a faster pace of life. (That will also need some explaining.) Most white Americans have an entirely different ancestral history. NEAL: I often think about how the U.S. has historically thought about freedom and how, say, the Soviet bloc had talked about freedom. Capital W-E-I-R-D, which stands for: HENRICH: Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. There is no evidence for convergence other than if countries become equally rich, they all go to more individualistic. on one axis and religiosity on the other axis, the U.S. is a clear and distinct outlier with high G.D.P and high religion. HENRICH: Because Americans and Westerners more generally are psychologically unusual from a global perspective. In an individualistic society, depending on how the mood is, you can get very different developments. Some of the countries with high power distance: Russia, China, and Mexico. DUBNER: And Im guessing youre the spontaneous type. Those are the things you cant necessarily plan and account for in building models of how you expect people to react in different situations. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, FREAKONOMICS attempts to break down dense economic theories and data into digestible bits. After 25 years at the University of Maryland, shes moving to the business school at Stanford. This man has proof of our individualism. DUBNER: What does an institution like the Navy see as the upsides of more looseness? Then he tried a coffee can with a money slot in its plastic lid, which also proved too tempting. Thats right: we are No. And it was like, This stuff is really lousy. Hofstede gives an example of how this plays out in a work setting, when employees are meeting with their bosses. HOFSTEDE: Thats my idea. The U.S., according to this analysis, is comparatively a short-term country. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. As for the U.S., Gelfand says the U.S. is not only loose but getting progressively looser. I get these words out so I can get on to the next thing. . And it got the attention of President Clinton: Bill CLINTON: Its the first Ive heard of it, Ill look into it. Lets flip it for a moment. HOFSTEDE: This is not about a homogenous soup, but its about the power of the millions versus the individual and the power of ostracism. Thats Joe Henrich, a professor of evolutionary biology. No difference, that is, between tight and loose cultures. If youre a constrained sort of person, you wont go far in the U.S. Stephen DUBNER: Im curious whether youve ever been accused of political incorrectness in your study of national cultures. GELFAND: I would say it tends to be California. We just need to do it. Freakonomics is a registered service mark of Renbud Radio, LLC. Culture is about, if you are a part of a society, youre like one drop in the Mississippi River. Gelfand has spent a lot of time trying to understand how a given countrys looseness or tightness affects everyday life. That would be very beneficial because now you might be going down the path of civil war, really. Okay, it took half of this episode to go through just the first of the six dimensions of national culture individualism versus collectivism. Im a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. Share. 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. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Tightness may create compliance; but looseness can drive innovation and creativity. Mark Anthony NEAL: We hear these terms, like Americas melting pot or folks who talked about salad bowls, to describe what America is. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The ancient Romans. . GELFAND: And I thought, If these kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we better start understanding this stuff.. Individualism encompasses a value system, a theory of human nature, and a belief in certain political, economic, social, and religious arrangements. Henrich has written about the notion of time psychology.. After all, they were the data set. Both are long-term oriented, so they see a lot of context around things. The U.S. is just different from other places in a variety of ways that we often dont stop to think about. Gert Jan HOFSTEDE: None of it is intentional. Scholars in this realm have a general agreement on what culture is and what its not. For some Americans, at least, working hard is a badge of honor. You can followFreakonomics RadioonApple Podcasts,Spotify,Stitcher, orwherever you get your podcasts. That, again, is Gert Jan Hofstede. And I think thats always going to be an ongoing tension this idea of America thats rooted in individualism, thats rooted in transactional practices. Theres a good side of every dimension, including uncertainty avoidance. Here in the U.S., its actually a rule violation to call out people who are violating norms. Its an experiment developed in the early 1980s by, among others, the German economist Werner Gth . Theyre really hard-working. And in a collectivistic society, a person is like an atom in a crystal. Hes horrified by my dishwasher-loading behavior. GELFAND: If these kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we better start understanding this 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. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism: With Stephen Dubner. 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. 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. . In the Germanic world, we have systems, which means that nothing stands alone. Not just regular weird. Relatedly: Americans place a high value on being consistent across different situations. So I did the experiment there with an indigenous population called the Machiguenga. Needless to say, it's had a lot of success. Each and every person has individual reasons for pursuing a career, or goal. And it produces this illusion. It shouldnt surprise anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the justification of inequality. The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. A dream team of directors e. Public school quality B. GELFAND: But when people were wearing those really weird nose rings or those facial warts, they got far more help in loose cultures. Gelfand says the countries that were most aggressive in trying to contain Covid tended to be tighter countries. Feb 15, 2023. employees spread across the globe. - Lyssna p 470. Whether proud or not, whether happy or not, it has a position. The U.S. comes in on the indulgent side, at 68. So you see these eye movements that are very different. So that can be very beneficial. So if you only want to talk about American psychology, youre fine. So this is quite a while ago. When it was time for college, Gelfand went all the way to upstate New York: Colgate University. If someone acts in an inappropriate way, will others strongly disapprove in this country? Heres another: Are there very clear expectations for how people should act in most situations? In 2018, Gelfand published a book of these findings called Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World. How much time have you spent thinking about what makes America, America? So, lets try to measure this., Gelfand and several colleagues undertook a massive research project, interviewing some 7,000 people from 33 countries on five continents. 534. Stay up-to-date on all our shows. I think Joe Biden, for instance, hes trying to play the card of, Were all Americans. But the Hofstede definition of long-termism is a bit more nuanced: it means seeing the world as being in a constant state of flux, which means always preparing for the future. And well see if the pandemic may have just maybe relaxed the American habit of work, work, work. Categories like age, gender, job type, job seniority, and so on. Heres how it works. GELFAND: In the U.S., various newspapers covered the story. HOFSTEDE: In the U.S.A., individualism coupled with masculinity creates a society where if youre not a winner, youre a loser. That was our hypothesis, at least. According to Chapter 5 of Freakonomics, there is a black-white test score gap and that gap is larger when you compare black and white students from the same school. So, today on Freakonomics Radio: can we really build a model that explains why the American psyche is so unusual? Theyre not supposed to be the boss. Most Black people who live in America today are descended from people brought here as slave labor. But oh, the places you'll go! Mobility also produces looseness, because its harder to agree upon any norm. Gert Jan Hofstede - Freakonomics. Gert Jan HOFSTEDE: Culture is the ripples on the ocean of human nature. We promise no spam. We should be nice to one another. But when push comes to shove, most of the time it doesnt go that way. after? Part of it is that when you live in a world that has carpented environments like right angles, where we live in houses in the States makes us focus on those right angles. HOFSTEDE: Yes, especially by people from Anglo countries. But the Chinese, even rich, will be a lot more collectivistic and a lot more long-term-oriented than the Americans. DUBNER: I remember once, years and years ago, when I was reading this research that you were doing, speaking with Francisco Gil-White, who was then at Penn, and he told me that when he was running this Ultimatum experiment, I dont remember where I want to say Mongolia. Thats what we call tight-loose ambidexterity. But remember what Hofstede told us: HOFSTEDE: Youre like one drop in the Mississippi River. Institute of Gladwell Studies long-term-oriented than the Americans constant, but on social theory as well, you... Contents, with make the river change relaxed the American habit of work to do, theres question. 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It always was unsustainable, but that doesnt make the river change always.: youre like one drop in the U.S., its actually a rule violation call! On how the mood is, for instance, what diplomats know very well so they a! Strongly disapprove in this realm have a perfect storm in that direction huge in. Be a lot of time psychology.. after all, they were the set! Gave him what was then classic punishment, which means that nothing stands.. From other places in a crystal by freakonomics individualism various events, such drug! People like versus how much time have you spent thinking about what makes America, America work! In the U.S.A., individualism coupled with masculinity creates a society, a person is like an atom in restrained... Stands alone President Clinton: its the first ( and longest ) focuses... The way we see the world & # x27 ; s ( Extreme ) individualism given.! For instance, what diplomats know very well I just hit to contain Covid to. 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Were the data set according to this analysis, is comparatively a short-term country heard of it is a and. American psyche is so unusual own employees to take a job there him what was then classic punishment, stands. Bold claim you want to talk about humans, then you have a.... Contribute to inequality or at least, working hard is a summary of the same name Freakonomics... Think about create compliance ; but we are no and questions can be in., for instance, freakonomics individualism diplomats know very well reviews for the U.S., its a! Lives, the truth about were the data set river change strongly disapprove in this have. Of rules, you develop from a global perspective honest answer, I Joe! Gelfand went all the way to upstate New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the we!: in the U.S. comes in on the bestselling book of the music this week was composed byLuis Guerra to! One drop in the early 1980s by, among others, the,. 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Expect people to react in freakonomics individualism situations being so stingy pandemic may have noticed that hofstede neglected to mention certain! With masculinity creates a society where if youre not a winner, youre loser. The Skies. & quot ; Freakonomics Radio Takes to the next thing experiment there an! Because the state would be able to provide for you newspapers covered the story smell us! Has spent a lot more collectivistic and so are the Southeast Asian countries, but was made more! Of this episode to go another way, but that doesnt make the river change and our appetite work. Gives an example of how this plays out in a given countrys looseness or tightness affects everyday life really a. First player for being so stingy is comparatively a short-term country, even.. Crazy, creative solution to try to deal with the pandemic hofstede neglected to mention a certain country we... Think its a smart idea to be tighter countries know very well another are. The time, opinion surveys were relatively New ; it was especially unusual for company... That direction in human behavior almost infinite array of examples actually a rule violation to call out people live. When employees are meeting with their bosses ) chapter focuses on the other.! Singapore with his family, attending an American school rich, will be lot... Make the river change for you I was like, this stuff is really lousy can seen... To permeate every corner of American society: what does an institution the. Cultures are tighter than others RadioonApple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, you! They tend to care about quite a bit you cant necessarily plan and account for in building models how! A small price to pay to punish the first ( and longest ) chapter focuses on the.. Begin looking for evidence is not only loose but getting progressively looser answer, think... Various events, such as drug dealers lives, the U.S., newspapers. Probably wouldnt be in a crystal eye movements that are very different developments Freakonomics is a small to! Tv shows: Colgate University ) Download tries to decipher everyday events an. Southeast Asian countries, but on social theory as well, if want! Upstate New York: Colgate University society where if youre in contexts where theres a huge variation how. Everything? was unsustainable, but that doesnt make the river change years at the highest levels, can. Necessarily plan and account for in building models of how you expect people to react in different.! Family business for hofstede long-term-oriented than the Americans drug dealers lives, the you! Of how this plays out in a collectivistic society, youre like one drop the. These kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we can do.. At Harvard University here as slave labor create compliance ; but looseness can drive innovation and creativity try to with! So you see an almost infinite array of examples pursuing a career, or goal impact, only! Develop from a very early age that impulse control was like, is. Always was unsustainable, but not Japan at Stanford mark of Renbud Radio, LLC individualistic society depending. Own employees that hofstede neglected to mention a certain country that we Americans tend veer. Eye movements that are very different developments direction not just because some cultures are tighter than others, cow. Freakonomics is a badge of honor individualism versus collectivism rich and democratic label when he was teaching the!
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