Chronic threat meaning a country is prone to natural disasters, or disease, or hostile invaders. Freakonomics is a collaboration of authors Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, journalists and winners of numerous awards. And we made sure that the subjects knew that the money was coming from an organization, that the giver did not get any of the money, we ratcheted up our levels of anonymity. Heres Mark Anthony Neal of Duke: NEAL: Historically, power has been obscure. International, and they were just starting international opinion surveys. Those should be the new words to your national anthem. 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. HOFSTEDE: Oh, no, thats something for academia. And then he decided to go to academia. So keep your ears open for all that. Gelfand would disagree. 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. We also realize that were a culture in distress in many, many, many ways. At the core of Freakonomics is the concept of incentives. HENRICH: We have a kind of religiosity equivalent to somewhere like Kuwait. We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldn't change them . You can think about it at the household level. So its hard to simply transplant another countrys model for education or healthcare, no matter how well it might seem to fit. In a future episode, well look at why the U.S., for all its wealth, has such a high rate of child poverty, and whats being done to address that. So were all constraining one another through our collective culture. And it got the attention of President Clinton: Bill CLINTON: Its the first Ive heard of it, Ill look into it. Whereas we usually describe a scent by saying something that it smells like.. I dont like to itch, Bert. Henrichs next example is more behavioral than physiological. 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. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. In our previous episode, we made what may sound like a bold claim. This does not mean that no one in a loose culture, like the U.S., is stigmatized or mistreated. Here are some things that tend to thrive in highly individual societies: human rights, a free press, divorce, and a faster pace of life. And in culture, uncertainty means not knowing the ritual, not knowing how status-worthy or blameworthy some action is. And this led to this project where we did in lots of places hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, Africa, Papua New Guinea. And I was like, This is every day in America! And she doesnt love to exercise. Do you know what you are? DUBNER: And Im guessing youre the spontaneous type. She likes to eat human food. And its another dimension on which the U.S. is a substantial outlier. That, again, is Gert Jan Hofstede. You could ask people, What do you like to eat? The more collectivistic they are, the more likely they are to talk about their grandmother and what she made, and theyre less likely to start entirely on their own diet. But Im Dutch, of course. But it was serious. The concept of incentives is a way of explaining why human beings do things. We will learn which countries are tight, which are loose, and why. It also is related to obesity. 470. He considered a rate between 80 and 90 percent . Coming up, how Americas creative looseness has produced a strange, global effect: HENRICH: The scientific discipline of psychology is dominated by Americans. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism. In the beginning, Feldman left behind an open basket for the cash, but too often the money vanished. And he tried all kinds of categories and groups. The U.S. is overall relatively loose. So why did someone succeed? Public school quality B. 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. The five tightest countries are Pakistan, Malaysia, India, South Korea, and our old friend Singapore. I came back to Colgate. We bring in neuroscience to understand all things cultural. When Hofstede the Elder went to work for I.B.M., he got involved with these surveys. Theyre threatened by that interdependence, and they want to assert their cultural identities. Theyre able to make finer distinctions in terms of their olfaction. Thats what we call tight-loose ambidexterity. Level of inequality C. Family composition D . Which is probably why we dont hear all that much about the science of culture. Most white Americans have an entirely different ancestral history. The U.S., according to this analysis, is comparatively a short-term country. Educated. And we can see a strong trend that looseness has increased over the last 200 years. Freakonomics has since grown up into a media company, complete with documentary, radio show, and blog. That, again, is the American culture scholar Joe Henrich. But Bush also wanted to avoid going to war with Iraq. 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 . Tom BROKAW:A young American has been sentenced to a caning for an act of vandalism. Its also the cleaning lady. And if you get crumbs in your pajamas, theyll make you itch. This interest goes back to those negotiations between Jim Baker and Tariq Aziz. Like, you saw in the U.S. trying to locate Covid in sewage. And it drives us crazy. (That will also need some explaining.) It shouldnt surprise anyone that individualism might contribute to inequality or at least, as Henrich puts it, the justification of inequality. All contents Freakonomics. Mobility also produces looseness, because its harder to agree upon any norm. employees in more than 50 countries. Because the purpose of this conversation is to try and understand exactly how (and why) the U.S. is different, and individualism is the dimension on which we are the biggest outlier. When you have teenagers, youre tight, at least for me. HOFSTEDE: In the U.S.A., the boss needs to be a team player. Historically, politically, and yes culturally. You may decide to go another way, but that doesnt make the river change. 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. playlist_add. For the last few months, the city-state has seen just a handful of Covid-19 cases. GELFAND: Sometimes people actually revert back into their cultural chambers. Or more human-made threats, like how many times has your nation been invaded over the last 100 years? The American model is among the most successful and envied models in the history of the world. So I have no doubt that his subjects really liked him. It turns out that Americans were among the least likely to conform. Steven D. Levitt, the self-described "Rogue Economist" of the title, uses this tool to analyze a random assortment of . Industrialized. You can followFreakonomics RadioonApple Podcasts,Spotify,Stitcher, orwherever you get your podcasts. Now, keep in mind this was London, English-speaking London not Uzbekistan or Botswana, even Mexico. I asked Hofstede what he would advise if a given country did want to change its culture? They were those kinds of Chaos Muppets, because they were risk-seeking. And also, of course, people listening to this: Make it happen, come on. As of today, it covers six dimensions or, as the Hofstedes put it, six basic issues that society needs to organize itself. Its called the 6-D, or 6-Dimension, Model of National Culture, and it is one of the most intriguing explanations Ive ever seen for why American society is such an outlier in the world for better and worse. You know what it is, you know how it works, you dont necessarily have access to the people who really hold on to it. I think I would have been perfectly content there because its also still a country of such huge opportunity. So how much would you offer? There are plenty of looser people in tight countries and vice versa. HOFSTEDE: So youre asking about cultural convergence. Thats my idea. And then in a third condition they were wearing just their face. But if youre not an economist, if youre a regular human being, you can see why the second player might reject a $1 offer. Theyre really hard-working. GELFAND: Places in the South have tended to have more natural disasters. 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. But Im Dutch, of course. They tend to veer tighter on our measures than places on the coast. His late father was a social psychologist who devised a system to rank countries on several dimensions including their level of individualism versus collectivism. And life is an adventure. Because when youre living inside a culture well, thats the culture you know; it is what it is. Everything in economics can be viewed from the point of incentives. GELFAND: If these kinds of cultural differences are happening at the highest levels, we better start understanding this stuff.. After all, they were the data set. So I am actually optimistic. And it produces this illusion. 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 . Everybody gets tickled until they laugh. Thats John Oliver. Can that possibly be trueour culture shapes our genetics? Joe Henrichs research into national psychologies led him to an even more fascinating conclusion. Were trying to buy time, save time. HENRICH: And this can include motivations, heuristics, biases, beliefs. By this time, Hofstede the Elder had already gotten a Ph.D. in social science. Individualism encompasses a value system, a theory of human nature, and a belief in certain political, economic, social, and religious arrangements. We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. So if you only want to talk about American psychology, youre fine. Joe HENRICH: Americans and Westerners more generally are psychologically unusual from a global perspective. SFU users should ignore all messages requesting Computing ID and/or password information, no matter how authentic they may appear. 702 Episodes. This individualism has produced tremendous forward progress and entrepreneurial energy. Heres how it works. HOFSTEDE: In the U.S.A., individualism coupled with masculinity creates a society where if youre not a winner, youre a loser. GELFAND: Groups that are of lower status tend to live in tighter worlds. So, what is it? Australia and Brazil are also loose. The authors argue that humans usually make decisions based on the incentives for their actions. Those are the things you cant necessarily plan and account for in building models of how you expect people to react in different situations. The first is that a model of anything even nearly as complex as a national culture is bound to miss a lot of nuance. Its part of our founding D.N.A. 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. The final dimension on the Hofstede model is called indulgence versus restraint. If youre violating the social order, youre going to be punished.. This is part of the history that made the U.S. a hotbed for individualism and it also changed the character of the places these people left. 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. Although it is more self-help than traditional economics it shares many of the weaknesses of more serious works in the discipline. We visit the world's busiest airport to see . On the more feminine end of the spectrum are the Scandinavian countries and some of Western Europe. This is where he combines all his academic interests: not just economics and psychology, but also anthropology and evolutionary biology. Here in the U.S., its actually a rule violation to call out people who are violating norms. More feminine societies tend to have less poverty and higher literacy rates. HENRICH: They are self-enhancing, which means they try to promote their attributes. By the same cue, you could vastly admire somebody for their strength and their intrepidity. Individualistic countries tend to be richer, but as Hofstede the Elder once put it, The order of logic is not that individualism comes first. 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 "uncertain. Individualism once . "The conventional wisdom is often wrong.". Here in the U.S., its actually a rule violation to call out people who are violating norms. Theyre what we call tight cultures. He takes on questions like: Why do kids with summer birthdays get the flu more often? GELFAND: I really had a lot of culture shock. Wade meant that these unwanted children were not being bornthus, they could not grow up to be criminals. But Gelfand saw an even bigger question: How can you understand culture if you dont know exactly what it is? Good on you, I say. Chinese, in that respect, are very like the Americans. It was back in grad school that Michele Gelfand first asked herself this question. So this is not about, Is world peace important?, HOFSTEDE: For instance, Is it important for you to have a good working relationship with your boss? Or Is it a good idea for people to maybe have more than one boss?. And so often, theyll just point at some other country on the map. Read the following excerpt from Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics. By the way, Gelfand doesnt really take a position on whether loose or tight is superior. One of the defining features of Americanism is our so-called rugged individualism. You might even call it wild individualism. Once you begin looking for evidence, you see an almost infinite array of examples. 1-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of Freakonomics. The Ultimatum game is famous among social scientists. Download Print. It's part of our founding D.N.A. And thats because the vast majority of the research subjects are WEIRD. GELFAND: Classic things like the Mller-Lyer Illusion, which is these two lines where one looks longer than the other. So, culture is about values, beliefs, absorbed ideas and behaviors. His father was Geert Hofstede. You could argue that treating your own children as if theyre special may make it harder to care as much about other peoples children. Everyone knows there are differences between people in different countries, but his approach was a quantifiable approach. Freakonomics Summary. Yes, the United States of America. Theyre more permissive. On a certain level, this is obvious: These are cultures that have norms and traditions that have endured for centuries. HOFSTEDE: This is a very American question, Stephen. The ancient Romans. Michele GELFAND: Its a subfield of psychology that tries to understand whats universal, whats similar, and whats culture-specific. after? HOFSTEDE: Yes. And thats helped to produce the looseness that exists to this day. The Pros and Cons of America's (Extreme) Individualism (Ep. The best thing you can become is yourself. And they pass another fish, who says, Hey, boys, hows the water? And theyre like, What the heck is water?. It is what we got fed with our mothers milk and the porridge that our dad gave us. Tightness may create compliance; but looseness can drive innovation and creativity. How much time have you spent thinking about what makes America, America? 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. And I think this community-spiritedness has been built in us since we were very young. But it can make life harder for the millions of Americans who arent so entrepreneurial, or rugged, or individualistic. Whatd they say? More information on phishing. DUBNER: What are some of the consequences of being relatively tolerant of uncertainty, as the U.S. is? So, again, if you want to talk about Americans, youre okay. 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 . John OLIVER: When was that moment that America became the most American America it could possibly be? But that makes sense. HENRICH: Two players divide a sum of money. Historically, politically, and yes culturally. When most readers think economics, they think advanced math, complicated models, and subjects like unemployment, the stock market, and the trade deficit. The five loosest countries according to this analysis were Ukraine, Estonia, Hungary, Israel, and the Netherlands. It always was unsustainable, but was made even more acute to us during the pandemic. We can think about extraordinarily loose contexts like Tesla or Uber that probably need a little more structure. So I did the experiment there with an indigenous population called the Machiguenga. I think those fundamental religious beliefs extend to the American view of what leadership should look like outside of the church in the corporation, in the legislatures, and what have you. 1, the most individualistic country in the world, 91 out of 100 on the Hofstede scale of individualism. GELFAND: We analyzed shifts in tightness over 200 years. And if there are crumbs in the sheets, theyll get in your pajamas. So yeah, the U.S. has that assignment ahead of it. As an Amazon Associate, Freakonomics may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. DUBNER: Are you the creator of the looseness-tightness system for looking at culture? 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. We should note that Bert and Ernie, despite their differences, are very dear friends! 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. But thats only the first study. Once he saw that differences were driven by nationality, Hofstede sensed he was on to something big. Open Document. There were a number of low offers of 15 percent, which didnt get rejected. The U.S. is a pretty successful country, maybe the most successful country on many dimensions in the history of the world. Did you know there is an entire academic field called cross-cultural psychology? HENRICH: So the usual result that economists found in lots of university populations in Europe and the U.S., is many people offer 50/50, so you end up with mean offers of around 45 percent of the total. This suggests that every time a social scientist runs an experiment whose research subjects are WEIRD thats capital-letter WEIRD the results of that experiment may be meaningful in the U.S. and some other places, but quite likely not in others. Progress and entrepreneurial energy humans usually make decisions based on the map country in the has!, complete with documentary, radio show, and whats culture-specific the new words to your national anthem been.! And winners of numerous awards fits quite snugly with the fact that the U.S.?! Asked Hofstede what he would advise if a given country did want to talk about Americans, fine. 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