227 | Molly Crockett on the Psychology of Morality
Feb 20, 2023
01:11:47
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Quick takeaways
Morality plays a crucial role in social cohesion and the maintenance of social norms, contributing to our sense of right and wrong.
Research on mass gatherings reveals that spending time at these events can lead to moral expansion, as individuals extend their moral circle to include a broader range of people.
The rise of social media and its algorithmic promotion of extreme content raises concerns about the manipulation of moral narratives and the erosion of factual-based discourse.
Deep dives
The Role of Morality in Social Cohesion
Morality plays a crucial role in social cohesion, as it helps maintain social norms and promotes cooperative behavior. Humans have evolved a capacity to learn and transmit moral values from one generation to another, which contributes to our sense of right and wrong. While there is variation in moral beliefs across cultures, the importance of social relationships and the desire to fit into the social world influence our moral cognition.
The Influence of Mass Gatherings on Morality
Research on mass gatherings, such as Burning Man, has revealed interesting findings about the influence of these events on moral cognition. Studies have shown that spending time at such gatherings can lead to moral expansion, where individuals extend their moral circle to include a broader range of people. This expansion is influenced by factors like collective effervescence and transformative experiences at these events.
The Impact of Social Media on Morality and Norms
The rise of social media has raised significant questions about the impact of technology on morality and norms. Social media algorithms, designed to capture attention, often promote extreme and outrage-inducing content. This creates a rapid cycle of moral discourse that may be divorced from reality. The manipulation of moral narratives online raises concerns about the shaping of moral judgments and the erosion of factual-based discourse. Understanding how technology shapes our perception of right and wrong becomes crucial in navigating the challenges of the digital age.
The expansion of morality
The podcast discusses how morality expands as we learn and age, highlighting the concept of the expanding circle. It explores how individuals care about and prioritize more people as they become smarter and more socially aware.
The influence of social structures
The episode delves into the influence of social structures and in-group biases on our moral judgments. It discusses how we learn to direct our empathy and moral sentiments towards in-group versus out-group members based on ideology. It also raises concerns about algorithmic intervention on social learning processes, emphasizing the need to consider the impact of technology on our moral inclinations and behavioral changes.
Most of us strive to be good, moral people. When we are doing that striving, what is happening in our brains? Some of our moral inclinations seem pretty automatic and subconscious. Other times we have to sit down and deploy our full cognitive faculties to reason through a tricky moral dilemma. I talk with psychologist Molly Crockett about where our moral intuitions come from, how they can sometimes serve as cover for bad behaviors, and how morality shapes our self-image.
Molly J. Crockett received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cambridge. She is currently Associate Professor of Psychology and University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.