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Neerdaels J, Tröster C, Van Quaquebeke N. It's (a) Shame: Why Poverty Leads to Support for Authoritarianism. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2024; 50:942-956. [PMID: 36575968 DOI: 10.1177/01461672221141509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The literature has widely discussed and supported the relationship between poverty and support for authoritarian leaders and regimes. However, there are different claims about the mediating mechanism and a lack of empirical tests. We hypothesize that the effect of poverty on support for authoritarianism is mediated by shame: People living in poverty frequently experience social exclusion and devaluation, which is reflected in feelings of shame. Such shame, in turn, is likely to increase support for authoritarianism, mainly due to the promise of social re-inclusion. We support our hypothesis in two controlled experiments and a large-scale field study while empirically ruling out the two main alternative explanations offered in the literature: stress and anxiety. Finally, we discuss how the present findings can support policymakers in efficiently addressing the negative political consequences of poverty.
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2
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Van de Vliert E, Conway LG, Van Lange PAM. Enriching Psychology by Zooming Out to General Mindsets and Practices in Natural Habitats. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1198-1216. [PMID: 36634361 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Psychology has been "zooming in" on individuals, dyads, and groups with a narrow lens to the exclusion of "zooming out," which involves placing the targeted phenomena within more distal layers of influential context. Here, we plea for a paradigm shift. Specifically, we showcase largely hidden scientific benefits of zooming out by discussing worldwide evidence on inhabitants' habitual adaptations to colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate habitats. These exhibits reveal two different types of theories. Clement-climate perspectives emphasize that generic common properties of stresses from cold and hot temperatures elicit similar effects on personality traits and psychosocial functioning. Cold-versus-heat perspectives emphasize that specific unique properties of stresses from cold and hot habitats elicit different effects on phenomena, such as speech practices and intergroup discrimination. Both zooming-out perspectives are then integrated into a complementary framework that helps identify explanatory mechanisms and demonstrates the broader added value of embedding zooming-in approaches within zooming-out approaches. Indeed, zooming out enriches psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paul A M Van Lange
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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3
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Chen H, Wang X, Zang H, Guinote A. We Need Tough Brothers and Sisters in a Tight World: Cultural Tightness Leads to a Preference for Dominant and Muscular Leaders. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2023:1461672231169107. [PMID: 37154510 DOI: 10.1177/01461672231169107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Cultural tightness is characterized by strong norms and harsh punishments for deviant behaviors. We hypothesized that followers in tight (vs. loose) cultures would more strongly prefer muscular leaders. This hypothesis was confirmed across seven studies (N = 1,615) employing samples from the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. Using actual political leaders, we demonstrated that the tighter the state's culture was, the more muscular the elected governor was (Study 1). Temporarily situating participants in a tight (vs. loose) culture made them select a leader higher on muscularity but not on body fat, and the effects obtained occurred for both male and female leaders (Studies 2-3B). In addition, we demonstrated the mediating role of authoritarianism and a preference for a dominant leadership in this process (Studies 4-5B). These results demonstrate the importance of considering the interface between culture and the physical appearance of leaders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- Department of Social Psychology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xijing Wang
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Huilin Zang
- Department of Social Psychology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ana Guinote
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK
- ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (CIS-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal
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4
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Mackey CD, Rios K, Johnson E. “You want to be politically correct”: Opposition to political correctness predicts less adherence to COVID‐19 guidelines in the US. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly Rios
- Department of Psychology Ohio University Athens Ohio USA
| | - Evan Johnson
- Department of Psychology Ohio University Athens Ohio USA
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5
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Conway III LG, Zubrod A, Chan L, McFarland JD, Van de Vliert E. Is the myth of left-wing authoritarianism itself a myth? Front Psychol 2023; 13:1041391. [PMID: 36846476 PMCID: PMC9944136 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1041391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Is left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) closer to a myth or a reality? Twelve studies test the empirical existence and theoretical relevance of LWA. Study 1 reveals that both conservative and liberal Americans identify a large number of left-wing authoritarians in their lives. In Study 2, participants explicitly rate items from a recently-developed LWA measure as valid measurements of authoritarianism. Studies 3-11 show that persons who score high on this same LWA scale possess the traits associated with models of authoritarianism: LWA is positively related to threat sensitivity across multiple areas, including general ecological threats (Study 3), COVID disease threat (Study 4), Belief in a Dangerous World (Study 5), and Trump threat (Study 6). Further, high-LWA persons show more support for restrictive political correctness norms (Study 7), rate African-Americans and Jews more negatively (Studies 8-9), and show more cognitive rigidity (Studies 10 and 11). These effects hold when controlling for political ideology and when looking only within liberals, and further are similar in magnitude to comparable effects for right-wing authoritarianism. Study 12 uses the World Values Survey to provide cross-cultural evidence of Left-Wing Authoritarianism around the globe. Taken in total, this large array of triangulating evidence from 12 studies comprised of over 8,000 participants from the U.S. and over 66,000 participants world-wide strongly suggests that left-wing authoritarianism is much closer to a reality than a myth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucian Gideon Conway III
- Department of Psychology, Social Work and Sociology, Grove City College, Grove City, PA, United States,*Correspondence: Lucian Gideon Conway III, ✉
| | - Alivia Zubrod
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Park University, Parkville, MO, United States
| | - Linus Chan
- Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - James D. McFarland
- Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Evert Van de Vliert
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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6
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Conway LG, Woodard SR, Zubrod A, Tiburcio M, Martínez-Vélez NA, Sorgente A, Lanz M, Serido J, Vosylis R, Fonseca G, Lep Ž, Li L, Zupančič M, Crespo C, Relvas AP, Papageorgiou KA, Gianniou FM, Truhan T, Mojtahedi D, Hull S, Lilley C, Canning D, Ulukök E, Akın A, Massaccesi C, Chiappini E, Paracampo R, Korb S, Szaflarski M, Touré AA, Camara LM, Magassouba AS, Doumbouya A, Mutlu M, Bozkurt ZN, Grotkowski K, Przepiórka AM, Corral-Frías NS, Watson D, Corona Espinosa A, Lucas MY, Paleari FG, Tchalova K, Gregory AJP, Azrieli T, Bartz JA, Farmer H, Goldberg SB, Rosenkranz MA, Pickett J, Mackelprang JL, Graves JM, Orr C, Balmores-Paulino R. How culturally unique are pandemic effects? Evaluating cultural similarities and differences in effects of age, biological sex, and political beliefs on COVID impacts. Front Psychol 2022; 13:937211. [PMID: 36600725 PMCID: PMC9807227 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.937211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite being bio-epidemiological phenomena, the causes and effects of pandemics are culturally influenced in ways that go beyond national boundaries. However, they are often studied in isolated pockets, and this fact makes it difficult to parse the unique influence of specific cultural psychologies. To help fill in this gap, the present study applies existing cultural theories via linear mixed modeling to test the influence of unique cultural factors in a multi-national sample (that moves beyond Western nations) on the effects of age, biological sex, and political beliefs on pandemic outcomes that include adverse financial impacts, adverse resource impacts, adverse psychological impacts, and the health impacts of COVID. Our study spanned 19 nations (participant N = 14,133) and involved translations into 9 languages. Linear mixed models revealed similarities across cultures, with both young persons and women reporting worse outcomes from COVID across the multi-national sample. However, these effects were generally qualified by culture-specific variance, and overall more evidence emerged for effects unique to each culture than effects similar across cultures. Follow-up analyses suggested this cultural variability was consistent with models of pre-existing inequalities and socioecological stressors exacerbating the effects of the pandemic. Collectively, this evidence highlights the importance of developing culturally flexible models for understanding the cross-cultural nature of pandemic psychology beyond typical WEIRD approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucian Gideon Conway
- Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States,*Correspondence: Lucian Gideon Conway III,
| | | | - Alivia Zubrod
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Park University, Parkville, MO, United States
| | - Marcela Tiburcio
- Departamento de Ciencias Sociales en Salud, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nora Angélica Martínez-Vélez
- Departamento de Ciencias Sociales en Salud, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Angela Sorgente
- Unità di Ricerca Teoria della Mente, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Lanz
- Unità di Ricerca Teoria della Mente, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Joyce Serido
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | | | - Gabriela Fonseca
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Žan Lep
- University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lijun Li
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Maja Zupančič
- University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia,Maja Zupančič,
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dara Mojtahedi
- University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Hull
- University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
| | | | - Derry Canning
- University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
| | - Esra Ulukök
- Department of Business Administration, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey
| | - Adnan Akın
- Department of Business Administration, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey
| | - Claudia Massaccesi
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Emilio Chiappini
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Sebastian Korb
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Almamy Amara Touré
- Department of Medical Sciences, Kofi Annan University of Guinea, Conakry, Guinea,National Centre of Training and Recherche in Rural Health of Mafèrinyah, Forécariah, Guinea
| | - Lansana Mady Camara
- Department of Medical Sciences, Kofi Annan University of Guinea, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Aboubacar Sidiki Magassouba
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Sciences and Health Techniques, Gamal Abdel Nasser University, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Abdoulaye Doumbouya
- National Centre of Training and Recherche in Rural Health of Mafèrinyah, Forécariah, Guinea
| | - Melis Mutlu
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Zeynep Nergiz Bozkurt
- Cognitive Neuropsychology Master’s Program, Institute of Graduate Education, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Karolina Grotkowski
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | | - David Watson
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | | | - Marc Yancy Lucas
- Department of Psychology, University of Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Talya Azrieli
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Harry Farmer
- Institute for Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon B. Goldberg
- Department of Counseling Psychology and Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Melissa A. Rosenkranz
- Department of Psychiatry and Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | | | | | - Catherine Orr
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Rozel Balmores-Paulino
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Baguio, Baguio, Philippines
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7
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Joshanloo M. Mental Balance in 116 Nations: Where It Is Experienced and Valued. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12457. [PMID: 36231758 PMCID: PMC9564841 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mental balance, defined as a sense of tranquility resulting from inner peace and harmonious interactions with the external environment, is an important but largely overlooked aspect of well-being. Using data from the Gallup World Poll (N = 121,207), this study developed a global index of mental balance and a measure of preference for mental balance (as opposed to excitement) across 116 countries. The study examined the global and regional distribution of these two variables and their intercorrelations with a variety of social, economic, cultural, and well-being variables. The results showed that, whereas national wealth and sociopolitical context were the strongest predictors of experiencing mental balance, these variables were not associated with preference for mental balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Joshanloo
- Department of Psychology, Keimyung University, 1095 Dalgubeol Boulevard, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, Korea
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8
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Conway LG, Van de Vliert E, Chan L. The geography of literacy: Understanding poleward increases in literacy rates. ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ajsp.12520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Linus Chan
- University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
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9
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Grigoryev D, Batkhina A, Conway LG, Zubrod A. Authoritarian attitudes in Russia:
Right‐wing
authoritarianism and social dominance orientation in the modern Russian context. ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ajsp.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Grigoryev
- National Research University Higher School of Economics Moscow Russia
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10
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Van de Vliert E, Conway LG. Does Perceived Governance Quality Improve Toward the North and South Poles for Eco-Cultural Reasons? JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/00220221211051025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Good government is vital to human society. But what proximal and distal factors influence this collective goodness perception? Here, we investigate how and why multi-component evaluations by many institutional observers of public governance vary along the north-south rather than east-west axis of the Earth. Across 190 countries, we show that governance quality improves from the equator toward the North and South Poles in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. By contrast, governance quality hardly varies from east to west. National wealth, surfacing as the main driver of good government, is spatially distributed along latitude and longitude in the same striking way. In broader detail, governance quality is psychologically accounted for by cultural, economic, and pathogenic explanations, all nested within a climate-based explanation. Taken in total, the results suggest a chain of increasingly distal explanations of the equator-to-pole improvements in perceived governance quality.
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11
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Conway LG, McFarland JD, Costello TH, Lilienfeld SO. The Curious Case of Left-Wing Authoritarianism: When Authoritarian Persons Meet Anti-Authoritarian Norms. JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 5:423-442. [PMID: 35155980 PMCID: PMC8837383 DOI: 10.1002/jts5.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Left-Wing Authoritarianism (LWA) has a controversial history in psychology. Some researchers have expressed skepticism about the existence of LWA, whereas others have argued that LWA is a valid construct. In the present article, we offer a framework to reconcile these two perspectives by proposing that ideologically-based authoritarian norms are sometimes in conflict with the processes that create authoritarian individuals. In Western political contexts, authoritarian norms are more likely to occur on the conservative side of the political spectrum; but authoritarian attributes can occur in both conservatives and liberals. In our model, left-wing authoritarians thus often occupy the space where forces influencing authoritarianism are in conflict. We review existing evidence related to the model, present novel evidence related to the model, derive four hypotheses from the model, and discuss criteria for falsifying the model. We conclude by considering the model's place in current research on the complexities of ideology.
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12
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Zmigrod L, Ebert T, Götz FM, Rentfrow PJ. The psychological and socio-political consequences of infectious diseases: Authoritarianism, governance, and nonzoonotic (human-to-human) infection transmission. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.5964/jspp.7297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
What are the socio-political consequences of infectious diseases? Humans have evolved to avoid disease and infection, resulting in a set of psychological mechanisms that promote disease-avoidance, referred to as the behavioral immune system (BIS). One manifestation of the BIS is the cautious avoidance of unfamiliar, foreign, or potentially contaminating stimuli. Specifically, when disease infection risk is salient or prevalent, authoritarian attitudes can emerge that seek to avoid and reject foreign outgroups while favoring homogenous, familiar ingroups. In the largest study conducted on the topic to date (N > 240,000), elevated regional levels of infectious pathogens were related to more authoritarian attitudes on three geographical levels: across U.S. metropolitan regions, U.S. states, and cross-culturally across 47 countries. The link between pathogen prevalence and authoritarian psychological dispositions predicted conservative voting behavior in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and more authoritarian governance and state laws, in which one group of people imposes asymmetrical laws on others in a hierarchical structure. Furthermore, cross-cultural analysis illustrated that the relationship between infectious diseases and authoritarianism was pronounced for infectious diseases that can be acquired from other humans (nonzoonotic), and does not generalize to other infectious diseases that can only be acquired from non-human species (zoonotic diseases). At a time of heightened awareness of infectious diseases, the current findings are important reminders that public health and ecology can have ramifications for socio-political attitudes by shaping how citizens vote and are governed.
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13
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Stieger S, Götz FM, Wilson C, Volsa S, Rentfrow PJ. A Tale of Peaks and Valleys: Sinusoid Relationship Patterns Between Mountainousness and Basic Human Values. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/19485506211034966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mountains—mythic and majestic—have fueled widespread speculation about their effects on character. Emerging empirical evidence has begun to show that physical topography is indeed associated with personality traits, especially heightened openness. Here, we extend this work to the domain of personal values, linking novel large-scale individual values data ( n = 32,666) to objective indicators of altitude and mountainousness derived from satellite radar data. Partial correlations and conditional random forest machine-learning algorithms demonstrate that altitude and mountainousness are related to increased conservation values and decreased hedonism. Effect sizes are generally small (| r| < .031) but comparable to other socio-ecological predictors, such as population density and latitude. The findings align with the dual-pressure model of ecological stress, suggesting that it might be most adaptive in the mountains to have an open personality to effectively deal with threats and endorse conservative values that promote a social order that minimizes threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Stieger
- Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Stefan Stieger and Friedrich Götz contributed equally to this paper
| | - Friedrich M. Götz
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute of Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Stefan Stieger and Friedrich Götz contributed equally to this paper
| | | | - Selina Volsa
- Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
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14
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Conway LG, Chan L, Woodard SR, Joshanloo M. Proximal versus distal ecological stress: Socio-ecological influences on political freedom, well-being, and societal confidence in 159 nations. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.5964/jspp.5927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous work from a socio-ecological perspective reveals that ecological stress has important effects on political, cultural, and psychological outcomes. However, that work has been limited by (1) a focus on distal forms of ecological stress that are hard for societies to control, and (2) a lack of large-scale conceptual replications. The present study aims to fill in these gaps by simultaneously testing the effects of both more distal ecological stress (e.g., climate) and more proximal ecological stress (e.g., water quality) on political restriction, political freedom, well-being, and societal confidence measurements. In a sample from the Gallup World Poll spanning over one and a half million participants and 159 nations, we found that while both kinds of ecological stress measurements predicted greater vertical political restriction, reduced horizontal political restriction, reduced well-being, and reduced freedom, only proximal forms of ecological stress predicted a loss in societal confidence. These results not only provide key conceptual replications of prior studies on new data, they also add previously unstudied outcomes and new ecological stressors. As a result, they help us better understand contributing factors to key societal issues such as freedom, well-being, and societal confidence.
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15
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Why are conservatives less concerned about the coronavirus (COVID-19) than liberals? Comparing political, experiential, and partisan messaging explanations. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021; 183:111124. [PMID: 34511681 PMCID: PMC8416547 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Given research revealing conservatives are more sensitive to disease threat, it is curious that U.S. conservatives were less concerned than liberals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Across four studies that spanned almost ten months throughout the pandemic, we evaluated three potential reasons why conservatives were less concerned: (1) Motivated Political reasons (conservatives held COVID-specific political beliefs that motivated them to reduce concern), (2) Experiential reasons (conservatives were less directly affected by the outbreak than liberals), and (3) Conservative Messaging reasons (differential exposure to/trust in partisan conservative messaging). All four studies consistently showed evidence that political (and not experiential or partisan messaging) reasons more strongly mediated conservatives' lack of concern for COVID-19. Additional analyses further suggested that while they did not serve as strong mediators, experiential factors provided a boundary condition for the conservatism➔perceived threat relationship. These data on over 3000 participants are consistent with a new model of the ideology-disease outbreak interface that can be applied to both the ongoing pandemic and future disease outbreaks.
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16
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Götz FM, Stieger S, Gosling SD, Potter J, Rentfrow PJ. Physical topography is associated with human personality. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 4:1135-1144. [PMID: 32895542 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0930-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Regional differences in personality are associated with a range of consequential outcomes. But which factors are responsible for these differences? Frontier settlement theory suggests that physical topography is a crucial factor shaping the psychological landscape of regions. Hence, we investigated whether topography is associated with regional variation in personality across the United States (n = 3,387,014). Consistent with frontier settlement theory, results from multilevel modelling revealed that mountainous areas were lower on agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness but higher on openness to experience. Conditional random forest algorithms confirmed mountainousness as a meaningful predictor of personality when tested against a conservative set of controls. East-west comparisons highlighted potential differences between ecological (driven by physical features) and sociocultural (driven by social norms) effects of mountainous terrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich M Götz
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Stefan Stieger
- Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Samuel D Gosling
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Peter J Rentfrow
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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17
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Brandt MJ, Turner-Zwinkels FM, Karapirinler B, Van Leeuwen F, Bender M, van Osch Y, Adams B. The Association Between Threat and Politics Depends on the Type of Threat, the Political Domain, and the Country. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2020; 47:324-343. [PMID: 32842885 PMCID: PMC7859575 DOI: 10.1177/0146167220946187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Theories link threat with right-wing political beliefs. We use the World
Values Survey (60,378 participants) to explore how six types of threat
(e.g., economic, violence, and surveillance) are associated with
multiple political beliefs (e.g., cultural, economic, and ideological
identification) in 56 countries/territories. Multilevel models with
individuals nested in countries revealed that the threat-political
belief association depends on the type of threat, the type of
political belief, and the country. Economic-related threats tended to
be associated with more left-wing economic political beliefs and
violence-related threats tended to be associated with more cultural
right-wing beliefs, but there were exceptions to this pattern.
Additional analyses revealed that the associations between threat and
political beliefs were different across countries. However, our
analyses identified few country characteristics that could account for
these cross-country differences. Our findings revealed that political
beliefs and perceptions of threat are linked, but that the
relationship is not simple.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Michael Bender
- Tilburg University, The Netherlands.,Gratia Christian College, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | | | - Byron Adams
- Tilburg University, The Netherlands.,University of Johannesburg, South Africa
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18
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Pazhoohi F, Kingstone A. Parasite Prevalence and Income Inequality Positively Predict Beardedness Across 25 Countries. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-020-00132-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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19
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Socio-ecological influences on political ideology. Curr Opin Psychol 2020; 32:76-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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20
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The global ecology of differentiation between us and them. Nat Hum Behav 2019; 4:270-278. [PMID: 31819208 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0783-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans distinguish between we-groups and they-groups, such as relatives versus strangers and higher-ups versus lower-downs, thereby creating crucial preconditions for favouring their own groups while discriminating against others. Reported here is the finding that the extent of differentiation between us and them varies along latitude rather than longitude. In geographically isolated preindustrial societies, intergroup differentiation already peaked at the equator and tapered off towards the poles, while being negligibly related to longitude (observation study 1). Contemporary societies have evolved even stronger latitudinal gradients of intergroup differentiation (survey study 2 around 1970) and discrimination (mixed-method study 3 around 2010). The geography of contemporary differentiation and discrimination can be partially predicted by tropical climate stress (warm winters, hot summers and irregular rainfall), largely mediated by the interplay of pathogen stress and agricultural subsistence (explanatory study 4). The findings accumulate into an index of intergroup discrimination by inhabitants of 222 countries (integrative study 5).
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21
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Shrira I. Population Diversity and Ancestral Diversity As Distinct Contributors to Outgroup Prejudice. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2019; 46:885-895. [PMID: 31630631 DOI: 10.1177/0146167219880190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown conflicting findings on how population diversity influences outgroup prejudice. In some cases, prejudice is greater when minority groups make up a larger portion of the population, whereas in other cases, prejudice is lower as diversity increases. This article examined how the diversity of a culture's ancestry-or its historical heterogeneity-would be related to outgroup attitudes. Historically heterogeneous populations descend from ancestors who have migrated from many parts of the world over the past 500 years and, as a result, have a longer legacy of contact with diverse groups of people. The results of two cross-cultural studies found that greater heterogeneity predicted lower levels of outgroup prejudice, and some evidence that diversity in the current population was related to increased prejudice. The findings suggest that intergroup attitudes have deeply entrenched roots that cannot be fully understood by looking at current indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilan Shrira
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA
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22
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Schaller M. Evolutionary psychology meets socio-ecological psychology: the motivational psychologies of disease-avoidance and parental care. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 32:6-11. [PMID: 31336251 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Specific features of ancestral ecologies had implications for the evolution of psychological mechanisms that regulate specific aspects of human cognition and behavior within contemporary ecologies. These mechanisms produce predictably different attitudes, judgments and behavioral dispositions under different circumstances. This article summarizes two illustrative programs of research-one that focuses on the evolved psychology of disease-avoidance and its many implications, and the other that focuses on the evolved psychology of parental care-giving and its many implications. These programs of research exemplify the generative utility of evolutionary psychological conceptual methods within the domain of socio-ecological psychology.
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23
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Van de Vliert E, Van Lange PA. Latitudinal gradients as scientific tools for psychologists. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 32:43-46. [PMID: 31376742 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
It is an unmistakable fact of life that animals and plants function differently at lower and higher latitudes with distinct temperatures and rainfall. No less unmistakable are the opposite directions of these latitudinal gradients above and below the equator. Therefore, it would be surprising if there were no opposite north-south gradients in human functioning in the northern and southern hemispheres. And indeed, recent publications and projects have started to validate, integrate, and explain such north-south gradients in cognitive ability, creativity, ingroup-outgroup dynamics, aggressiveness, life satisfaction, and individualism versus collectivism. Our brief review of these contemporary trends cumulates into a latitudinal-tools matrix for further integration and sophistication of the latitude-related ecology of habitual mindsets and practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evert Van de Vliert
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Paul Am Van Lange
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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24
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Van de Vliert E, Conway LG. Northerners and Southerners Differ in Conflict Culture. NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/ncmr.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Evert Van de Vliert
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
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25
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Chan L, Conway LG. Autocratic Government Moderates the Relationship Between Culture and Legal Restriction. JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/0022022118793538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Laws that restrict citizens exist in every form of government. Although previous research has shown that legal restriction is tied to culture-level variables such as collectivism, we propose and test a novel interactive model specifying that the culture-legal restriction relationship will depend on the level of democracy or autocracy present in the government. Specifically, legal restrictions in democracies should show more consistent relationships with culture-level variables because lawmakers in democracies are more directly accountable to the populace. In contrast, legal restrictions in autocracies should be less subject to influence by culture-level variables because lawmakers are less directly accountable to the populace. In our study, we tested this interactive model by examining if horizontal/vertical legal restrictions predict culture-level variables (wealth, urbanity, collectivism) differently for democracies versus autocracies. Results provide qualified support for the model: Especially for higher power tests with larger samples of nations, we found that the level of democracy/autocracy significantly moderated the relationship between culture-level variables and two different types of legal restriction. Also consistent with our model, the nature of these interactions generally revealed significant culture-legal restriction effects for democracies but not autocracies. Our results suggest that the path between culture and legal systems might take very different routes depending on level of autocracy or democracy in the ruling government.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Chan
- University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
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26
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Van de Vliert E, Welzel C, Shcherbak A, Fischer R, Alexander AC. Got Milk? How Freedoms Evolved From Dairying Climates. JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 49:1048-1065. [PMID: 30100622 PMCID: PMC6056908 DOI: 10.1177/0022022118778336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The roots and routes of cultural evolution are still a mystery. Here, we aim to lift a corner of that veil by illuminating the deep origins of encultured freedoms, which evolved through centuries-long processes of learning to pursue and transmit values and practices oriented toward autonomous individual choice. Analyzing a multitude of data sources, we unravel for 108 Old World countries a sequence of cultural evolution reaching from (a) ancient climates suitable for dairy farming to (b) lactose tolerance at the eve of the colonial era to (c) resources that empowered people in the early industrial era to (d) encultured freedoms today. Historically, lactose tolerance peaks under two contrasting conditions: cold winters and cool summers with steady rain versus hot summers and warm winters with extensive dry periods (Study 1). However, only the cold/wet variant of these two conditions links lactose tolerance at the eve of the colonial era to empowering resources in early industrial times, and to encultured freedoms today (Study 2). We interpret these findings as a form of gene-culture coevolution within a novel thermo-hydraulic theory of freedoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Welzel
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
- National Research University–Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey Shcherbak
- National Research University–Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia
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