The Best of "How To" cover image

The Best of "How To"

How to Talk to People: ‘Everyone Used to be Nicer,’ And Other Persistent Myths

Jul 27, 2023
27:47

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The belief in a moral decline is a psychological illusion that persists despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
  • Biased exposure and biased memory contribute to the illusion of moral decline, with people paying more attention to negative information and having skewed perceptions of the past.

Deep dives

Perception of Moral Decline

In this podcast episode, the host discusses the perception that people were nicer in the past and how this belief is widespread despite the lack of evidence. The episode explores a study by psychologist Adam Mastriani, who found that people often talk about how everything is worse these days compared to the past. The study reveals that individuals tend to perceive a decline in kindness and trustworthiness over time, even though objective measures suggest otherwise. The perception of moral decline is seen across different age groups, genders, and educational backgrounds. The episode highlights the emotional resonance and power of the narrative that things used to be better, along with the political implications of this belief.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode