WEIRD—How Psychology and Culture Co-Evolved to Produce the Western Mind

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Do you identify yourself by your profession, rather than your family? Do you consider yourself unique? Do you have personal goals? If so, perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic.

Unlike most who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-involved, control-oriented, nonconformist and analytical. They focus on themselves—their attributes, accomplishments and aspirations—over their social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically peculiar? What part did these differences play in the industrial revolution and the expansion of European power? And what do they mean for our sense of who we are now?

Drawing on a decade of leading research since his ground-breaking 2010 research paper, Harvard Professor Joseph Henrich joins us to explore the historical evolution of family structures, marriage and religion to analyze how these institutions shaped the Western mind.

Provocative, engaging and surprising, this talk will transform your understanding of the way we behave.

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