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Podcast

#97: Is the Biggest Fish in the Pond Happy? (feat. W. David Marx)

Dec 20, 2022
Guest W. David Marx discusses the pursuit of status, the impact of culture on non-rational behavior, and the influence of status on society and art perception. They explore the limitations of status, the formation of subcultures, and the influence of monoculture. The podcast emphasizes the importance of understanding culture and the subconscious nature of human behavior.
01:20:56

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Humans cannot intuitively explain their behavior, highlighting the need for a science of human behavior.
  • Status is a central concept in understanding cultural change and plays a pivotal role in determining cultural conventions.

Deep dives

Status as an Explanation for Human Behavior

The podcast episode explores the idea that humans do not always know why they do what they do, but they are willing to provide explanations for their actions. This highlights the need for a science of human behavior, as humans cannot intuitively come up with accurate answers to explain their behavior. The concept of rationality has traditionally been used to explain human behavior, but it falls short when considering the complexity of human behavior observed outside the laboratory. The podcast introduces status as a key factor that drives human behavior. Status serves as the glue that holds together the aspects of human behavior that cannot be explained by rationality alone.

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