Michele Gelfand, a cultural psychologist at the University of Maryland, discusses her groundbreaking research on 'tight' and 'loose' societies. She explains how these cultural dimensions affect social norms and behaviors, using examples from around the world, like Singapore and Alabama. Gelfand delves into how urban versus rural settings influence these cultural traits and their psychological implications on creativity and risk-taking. She also highlights the importance of balancing structure and freedom in organizations and explores the challenges of navigating gender norms across cultures.
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insights INSIGHT
Cultural Codes
Cultural variations are driven by deeper codes beyond superficial characteristics.
Understanding these codes allows us to understand both modern and ancient cultures.
insights INSIGHT
Tight vs. Loose Cultures
Cultures vary in their adherence to social norms, categorized as tight or loose.
This affects orderliness, tolerance, creativity, and how people interact.
insights INSIGHT
Tightness vs. Other Dimensions
Tightness-looseness is distinct from other cultural dimensions like individualism-collectivism.
Tightness is correlated with collectivism but there are exceptions, like Germany, and vice versa, like Brazil.
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In "Rule Breakers and Rule Makers," David Gardner outlines his investment philosophy centered around identifying and holding disruptive companies for the long term. He details the characteristics he looks for in 'Rule Breaker' stocks, emphasizing factors like strong management, sustainable competitive advantages, and significant consumer appeal. The book also includes case studies of his successful and unsuccessful investments, illustrating the principles of his strategy. Gardner's approach prioritizes identifying companies poised for significant growth, even if they appear overvalued in the short term. The book serves as a guide for investors seeking to replicate his long-term success.
Histories
Herodotus
The Histories by Herodotus is a foundational work in Western historical literature. It chronicles the Greco-Persian Wars (499–479 BCE) and provides a comprehensive background on the rise and organization of the Persian Empire. The work is divided into nine books, each named after one of the Muses. Herodotus describes the conflicts between the Greeks and Persians, including key battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale. He also delves into the cultural, ethnographical, geographical, and historiographical aspects of the civilizations involved, offering a rich tapestry of historical and mythological narratives. Despite some criticisms for including legendary accounts, much of Herodotus's work has been validated by modern historians and archaeologists[1][2][3].
Physicists study systems that are sufficiently simple that it’s possible to find deep unifying principles applicable to all situations. In psychology or sociology that’s a lot harder. But as I say at the end of this episode, Mindscape is a safe space for grand theories of everything. Psychologist Michele Gelfand claims that there’s a single dimension that captures a lot about how cultures differ: a spectrum between “tight” and “loose,” referring to the extent to which social norms are automatically respected. Oregon is loose; Alabama is tight. Italy is loose; Singapore is tight. It’s a provocative thesis, back up by copious amounts of data, that could shed light on human behavior not only in different parts of the world, but in different settings at work or at school.
Michele Gelfand received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Illinois. She is currently Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and affiliate of the RH Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a past president of the International Association for Conflict Management. Among her numerous awards are the Carol and Ed Diener Award in Social Psychology, the Annaliese Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Outstanding International Psychologist Award from the American Psychological Association.
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 
