In order to give you all a break from the talk about the end of the world, this episode has Jonah speaking with psychologist Dr. Michele Gelfand about one of his pet-obsessions: “tight” and “loose” theories of culture. Why do places like Japan and Singapore seem to be in lockstep while the U.S. is so freewheeling? How should we tighten up, culturally, as a response to COVID? And why are Mexican teachers unions so weird? We ask the hard questions here on The Remnant, so don’t miss it.

Show Notes:

-Michele’s book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers

-The complexity of fractals, for those who actually understand math

-Michele’s Tight-Loose Quiz

-Mexican teaching jobs are given to… teachers’ kids?

-The gum-free land of Singapore

-D.E. Brown’s list of universal traits across all human cultures

-Jonathan Haidt’s article, which then spawned a book, which then spawned a Remnant episode

-Robert Wright, The Moral Animal

-John Tooby’s “coalition instinct”

-Jonah’s Wednesday “news”letter

-Michele’s piece on COVID in the Boston Globe

-Michele’s “Honor Dictionary”

-The fascinating concept of “pluralistic ignorance”

-GetBlueVine.com/dingo

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