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How does the culture that we grow up in shape our priorities in life and ability to perceive the world? Where do the psychological differences between cultures come from in the first place? These are the kinds of questions pursued by Dr. Thomas Talhelm, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Join us in this episode as we take a tour of the unlikely course of events that brought Thomas to Guangzhou in southern China, where he uncovered a source of psychological variation thousands of years old which is still influencing human behavior en masse today! We also hit upon the mysterious nature of human preferences, the many ways of understanding what it means to be a “collectivist”, and how westerners can use cultural psychology to inform their judgements of faraway places.
Thanks to Thomas for recording this episode, not once but TWICE due to problems with my recording equipment first time around! For more information check out his personal webpage, university profile, and Kickstarter campaign for Sqair, the world’s most cost-effective air purifier.
