The Gray Area with Sean Illing Will Storr on why you are not yourself
30 snips
Dec 6, 2018 
Will Storr, author of the book Selfie, explores the cultural, evolutionary, and psychological construction of the self. Topics discussed include the power of storytelling in shaping our worldview, the link between personality traits and political beliefs, the debate on parenting and personality, the impact of neoliberalism on identity, the toxicity of social media, and book recommendations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Storytelling as Tribal Propaganda
- Storytelling is theorized as the primary reason for human language development, enabling cooperation and status games within tribes.
- Stories act as "tribal propaganda," promoting selfless acts as heroic and selfish acts as villainous, enforced by moral outrage.
Cultural Mediation of Self
- Stories shape our worldviews and the way we perceive ourselves and others, not just conveying truth but imparting cultural lessons.
- Our sense of self and relationships is culturally mediated, with stories acting as filters for these cultural influences.
Culturally Constructed Reality
- Reality is a construction of the brain, influenced by culture, affecting what we notice and how our brains structure perception.
- Cultural differences mediate eye movements (saccades), influencing context perception and moral judgments.