Joe Henrich, a leading cognitive scientist, joins the conversation to challenge the notion of universality in cognitive science. He discusses how cultural differences impact our understanding of cognition, using examples like the Mueller-Lyer illusion. The hosts also explore how technology influences social interactions, including the quirky AI 'Friend' device. Henrich critiques the reliance on WEIRD samples in research, highlighting the need for more diverse perspectives. The dialogue touches on how societal values, particularly in tech hubs, are reshaping perceptions of neurodiversity.

Joe Henrich is Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and an author.Humans like to think that we're sovereign individuals with agency over our preferences and actions. But we are also a part of our social environment and Joe has teased apart some fascinating trends which explain how our location and culture have huge impacts on the way we behave, our preferences on everything from dating to work and family life to religion.Expect to learn why the things we consider to be human nature could just be cultural conditioning, the dangerous future if there's lots of sexless men, how the choice between growing rice and wheat impacts family life, what having diplomatic immunity from parking tickets can teach us about human nature, how Joe's lab can use language to archaeologically tell us about social trends from history and much more...Sponsors:Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/Get 83% discount & 3 months free from Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (use code MODERNWISDOM)Get 20% discount on the highest quality CBD Products from Pure Sport at https://bit.ly/cbdwisdom (use code: MW20)Extra Stuff:Buy The Weirdest People In The World - https://amzn.to/3F3wUY7 Follow Joe on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JoHenrich Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom-Get in touch.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillxTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillxYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcastEmail: https://chriswillx.com/contact/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Henrich, who studies how culture has shaped human evolution, discusses the influence of culture on the evolution of Homo erectus, the importance of diversity for innovation and the impact of immigration, the evolution of gods and the role of rituals, the significance of rituals and the consequences of secularization, and the benefits of ritualistic behavior in promoting cooperation.