Joseph Henrich argues that people from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich & Democratic (WEIRD) societies have distinct psychological characteristics compared to the rest of the world. He traces these to unique cultural features and historical developments that shaped WEIRD societies over time.The premise is that culture matters a lot. It affects us biologically. It can and does alter our brains, hormones, and anatomy, along with our perceptions, motivations, personalities, emotions, and many other aspects of our minds.

WEIRD Societies

Try completing this sentence: I am ___.If you are WEIRD, you probably answered with words like “curious” or “passionate”, “a scientist,” “a surgeon” etc ...You were probably less inclined to respond with things like “Josh’s dad” or “Maya’s mom,” even though those are equally true.This focus on personal attributes over personal relationships & inherited social roles is a distinctive feature of WEIRD psychology, but one that sets them apart from the rest of the world. Because most people think of themselves in terms of their social context rather than focusing solely on individual traits.

Who Are You?

Innovation is driven by the recombination of ideas, insights, and technologies, along with a healthy dose of serendipity and unintended consequences. As a result, any institutions, norms, beliefs, or psychological inclinations that increase the flow of ideas among diverse minds or open up more opportunities for fortune to show us the way will energize innovation.It is a form of cumulative cultural evolution, which is fundamentally a social and cultural process that turns societies into collective brains.

WEIRD Innovation

It took hundreds of years for the West to develop its distinct culture. <ol><li class="ql-align-justify">The Rise of Monogamous Nuclear Families: The Catholic Church's promotion of independent families weakened kinship networks and fostered individualism.</li><li class="ql-align-justify"> Impersonal Markets and Urbanization: The growth of market economies and urban centers with diverse populations encouraged cooperation and exchange.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Rise of Voluntary Associations: Guilds, universities, and other self-governing groups created opportunities for people with shared interests to collaborate. </li></ol>

Historical Factors for WEIRD Societies

WEIRD people are the exception. Key areas of differences:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Collectivism vs. Individualism: WEIRD societies emphasize individual goals & achievements, whereas the rest prioritize group identity: family, tribe.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">High vs. Low Trust in Strangers: WEIRD societies show higher levels of trust in strangers compared to the global average.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Formal Rules vs. Informal Norms: WEIRD societies often rely on laws to govern behavior. In contrast to traditions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Openness to Novelty vs. Traditionalism: WEIRD populations tend to be more open to new ideas over preserving traditions.</li></ol>

WEIRD People vs the World

Weird people are psychologically peculiar. Highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical. They focus on themselves - over their social roles.<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">They aim to be “themselves” across contexts and see inconsistencies in others as hypocrisy.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They are less willing to conform to others when this conflicts with their own beliefs.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They see themselves as unique beings, not as nodes in a social network.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">When reasoning, they tend to look for universal categories and rules with which to organize the world.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Through self-regulation, they can defer gratification </li></ol>

WEIRD Individuals

WEIRD people are racked by guilt as they fail to live up to their culturally inspired, self-imposed, standards. 🤔 In most non-WEIRD societies, shame—not guilt—dominates people’s lives. ➡️ People experience shame when they, their relatives, or even their friends fail to live up to the standards imposed on them by their communities. <ul><li class="ql-align-justify"> Non-WEIRD populations “lose face” when their daughter loves someone outside the social network. </li><li class="ql-align-justify"> WEIRD people might feel guilty for taking a nap instead of hitting the gym.</li></ul> 💡 Guilt is based on our own standards whereas shame stems from societal standards.

Shame vs Guilt

The ability to read and write not only leads to cultural progress but also changes our biology and psychology. Literate societies have thicker corpus callosa and have difficulty recognizing faces. This is because reading (a skill acquired later in human history) requires using areas of the brain that oral communication does not. The spread of literacy can be traced back to the rise of Protestantism, which emphasized the importance of individuals engaging with divine words directly. Hence, reading became essential in Western societies, while oral communication ruled the rest of the world.

The Impact of Literacy on Individuals and Society

WEIRD means Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. An acronym to describe the characteristics of modern civilisations.

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020 A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020 A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020 A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern world. Perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. If so, you’re rather psychologically peculiar. Unlike much of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical. They focus on themselves—their attributes, accomplishments, and aspirations—over their relationships and social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically distinct? What role did these psychological differences play in the industrial revolution and the global expansion of Europe during the last few centuries? In The WEIRDest People in the World, Joseph Henrich draws on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics, and evolutionary biology to explore these questions and more. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage, and religion, and the profound impact these cultural transformations had on human psychology. Mapping these shifts through ancient history and late antiquity, Henrich reveals that the most fundamental institutions of kinship and marriage changed dramatically under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church. It was these changes that gave rise to the WEIRD psychology that would coevolve with impersonal markets, occupational specialization, and free competition—laying the foundation for the modern world. Provocative and engaging in both its broad scope and its surprising details, The WEIRDest People in the World explores how culture, institutions, and psychology shape one another, and explains what this means for both our most personal sense of who we are as individuals and also the large-scale social, political, and economic forces that drive human history. Includes black-and-white illustrations.