Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast) Shame, Pride, and Guilt with Daniel Sznycer
Oct 21, 2025
Daniel Sznycer, an evolutionary psychologist from Oklahoma State, delves into the fascinating world of self-conscious emotions like shame, pride, and guilt. He critiques traditional views on shame, arguing it serves vital social functions, like managing how others value us. Sznycer discusses the difference between shame and guilt, the cultural variations in these emotions, and explores how they impact social dynamics and personal actions. He even connects current societal behaviors to evolutionary insights, making his findings both relevant and relatable.
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Shame Vs Guilt Distinction
- Self-conscious emotions like shame and guilt involve evaluating the self relative to actions and social expectations.
- Tangney framed shame as self-focused avoidance and guilt as reparative, action-focused behavior.
Shame Mirrors Physical Pain
- Shame functions like physical pain by signaling a real problem: social devaluation by others.
- Eliminating shame without fixing the social causes would be like removing pain while leaving injuries untreated.
People Are Valued Like Assets
- Minds compute the value of people as positive, neutral, or negative relative to fitness-relevant outcomes.
- Those valuations guide costly actions like altruism or harm based on thresholds set by perceived partner value.
