Very Bad Wizards

Episode 285: On Culture and Agriculture

May 28, 2024

Discussing the cultural differences between rice and wheat farming communities in China, highlighting the impact on collectivism and holistic thinking. Exploring a study on censorship and self-censorship among social psychologists. Delving into evolutionary implications of sexually coercive behavior and controversial views on biological sex in academia. Analyzing cultural influences on self-perception and research measures in cultural studies. Playful banter on dinner choices and individualism rounds out the engaging discussion.

01:25:44

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Quick takeaways

Rice farming fosters collectivism and interdependence, contrasting with individualism linked to wheat farming.

Agricultural history influences cultural norms; rice cultivation in Asia promotes collectivism and holistic thinking.

Random assignment to rice or wheat farming demonstrates immediate cultural differences, challenging modernization theory's impact on collectivism.

Deep dives

Origins of Cultural Differences in Collectivism and Individualism

Rice farming requires more cooperation due to the labor-intensive nature, leading to collectivistic cultures in regions with rice farming compared to wheat farming regions.

Cultural differences in honor vs. non-honor societies

00:56

Guideline Changes and Restrictions on Harmful Content

01:18

Identifying Vulnerabilities for Verbal Attacks

01:24

Drawing Test for Cultural Self-Perception

02:10

Introduction

3min

Stormy Chaos and Humorous Banter

3min

Taboos and Self-Censorship in Psychology Research

10min

Navigating the Evolutionary Implications of Sexually Coercive Behavior

15min

Exploring Controversial Views on Biological Sex and Academic Discrimination

19min

Cultural Differences in East Asian and Western Societies

22min

Cultural Influences on Self-Perception

4min

Exploring Research Measures and Data Analysis in Cultural Studies

4min

Effect Sizes and Cultural Differences in Cognition

4min

10.

Playful Banter on Dinner Choices and Individualism

2min

It’s an old-school episode as David and Tamler dive into some intriguing research on the origins of cultural differences. Two neighboring communities in communist China were assigned to be wheat farmers and rice farmers. Seventy years later, the people in the rice farming communities showed signs of being more collectivist, relational, and holistic than the people in the wheat farming communities. Plus, we have some questions about a new study on censorship and self-censorship among social psychologists.

Links:

Clark CJ, Fjeldmark M, Lu L, Baumeister RF, Ceci S, Frey K, Miller G, Reilly W, Tice D, von Hippel W, Williams WM, Winegard BM, Tetlock PE. (2024) Taboos and Self-Censorship Among U.S. Psychology Professors. Perspectives on Psychologic al Science [pubmed]

A fascinating theory about the cultural influence of rice farming now has evidence of causality by Eric Dolan [psypost.org]

Talhelm, T., & Dong, X. (2024). People quasi-randomly assigned to farm rice are more collectivistic than people assigned to farm wheat. Nature Communications, 15(1), 1782.[nature.com]

Talhelm, T., Zhang, X., Oishi, S., Shimin, C., Duan, D., Lan, X., & Kitayama, S. (2014). Large-scale psychological differences within China explained by rice versus wheat agriculture. Science, 344(6184), 603-608. [science.org]