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Human Nature and Culture: What is the Human Mind Designed For?

Human Nature and Culture: What is the Human Mind Designed For?. Roy F. Baumeister. Evolutionary Psychology:. ***Similarities (between humans and animals). Cultural Psychology:. ***Differences (among cultures). Evolutionary Psychology:. *** DIFFERENCES between humans and animals.

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Human Nature and Culture: What is the Human Mind Designed For?

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  1. Human Nature and Culture:What is the Human Mind Designed For? Roy F. Baumeister

  2. Evolutionary Psychology: ***Similarities (between humans and animals) Cultural Psychology: ***Differences (among cultures)

  3. Evolutionary Psychology: ***DIFFERENCES between humans and animals Cultural Psychology: ***SIMILARITIES among cultures

  4. Focusing only on cultural differences underestimates the power and importance of culture.

  5. Different cultures speak different languages… …but all cultures have language (and languages have much in common)

  6. Different cultures cook different foods, in different styles… …but all cultures cook

  7. Different cultures use different clothing styles, materials, and fashions… …but all cultures use clothing

  8. Different cultures have different units of money… …but nearly all cultures use money (and other forms of exchange)

  9. So… • Let’s think (also) about culture per se, and not just cultural difference, in order to understand human nature.

  10. What is the Human Psyche Distinctively Designed to Do? Complex social systems …CULTURE

  11. Brains: Costs and Benefits • Very costly organ, consumes many calories • Human brain is 2% of body mass, consumes 20% of calories • Must therefore “pay for itself” • What benefits? • Some kinds of food? • Keeping track of territory? • Outsmarting predators?

  12. The “Social Brain” • Comparing different species of animals, Dunbar found that bigger brains went with bigger (and more complex) social networks • The brain is for understanding each other • The evolved purpose of the relatively giant human brain is for advanced social interaction • Inner processes serve interpersonal functions

  13. Culture is a better way of being social.

  14. The Cultural Brain • Culture increases power of human brain • Brain may have evolved to “do” culture • Analogy to computers and internet

  15. What is culture? • Learned behavior • Shared information • Transmission to the next generation • Beliefs • Practices (how to) • Guides for behaviors (norms, rules)

  16. What is culture? An information-based system to allow people to live together in organized fashion and satisfy biological, social needs

  17. Can culture shape biology?

  18. Why Culture? • Humans developed culture as a new, better form of social life • So culture can do things that simpler social systems cannot • These things improve survival, reproduction • Culture as biological strategy • Culture per se, not cultural differences • The human mind evolved to take advantage of these

  19. Advantages of Culture1. Language • Need a group (culture) for language • Improves communication • Improves sharing, storage of information • Improves thinking (manipulating information, rationality, morality) • Can think beyond the here and now • All other animals just respond to their immediate stimulus environment

  20. Advantages of Culture2. Accumulation of Knowledge • Knowledge resides in the group • Passed on to new generations • Allows for PROGRESS

  21. Advantages of Culture3. Division of Labor • Different people perform different tasks • Allows for specialization, expertise • Everything gets done better, more efficiently

  22. Advantages of Culture4. Network of exchange • Marketplace, trade • Enables people to interact with strangers in ways that benefit both • Trade increases wealth • Life gets better overall

  23. Advantages of Culture:***Bottom Line • The whole is more than the sum of its parts • That difference (increase) improves survival, reproduction for members

  24. Explaining the Psyche • Nature selected us for culture • Culture (though not cultural difference) is in our genes

  25. Adaptations for Culture • Inner processes serve interpersonal functions! • The main features of human psychology (cognition, motivation, emotion) are there to enable people to sustain this new & improved kind of social behavior: culture

  26. Adaptations for Culture • “One of us” • Theory of mind • Joint attention tasks • Shared assumptions for language, trade, etc. • Empathy (promotes prosocial behavior) • Need to belong • Participation in community

  27. Adaptations for Culture • Intelligent thought • More & better information processing • Not all-purpose reasoning machine • Understands hidden causes • Detects cheaters, free riders • Solves problems without trial & error

  28. Adaptations for Culture • Self • Between animal and social group • Seeks acceptance by group • Roles (identity, group tasks) • Finding unique niche • Public self-consciousness • Connects biological organism to social group and cultural system

  29. Adaptations for Culture • Consciousness • Purpose: brain’s inner cross-talk • For processing social information • Simulating nonpresent realities • Decision making • Understanding others • Simulating past, future events

  30. Adaptations for Culture • Self-Control / Self-Regulation • Overrides incipient responses • Can bring self, states, behaviors into line with group’s rules, standards • Can follow abstract rules made by far-off others

  31. Adaptations for Culture • Free will • Self-control • Override response to follow rules • Rational, smart choices • Enlightened self-interest amid culture • Planned action • Initiative • Active instead of passive responder

  32. Nature Against Culture?The Case of Self-Interest • Nature made us selfish • The “selfish gene” • Culture demands sacrifices from individuals • Taxes • War • Waiting your turn • Respecting property of others • Restrain sexual, aggressive impulses

  33. Too Positive a View? • Human culture has produced • War • Pollution • Genocide • Social Inequality, Injustice • Disco • Economic Depressions • Global Warming

  34. But still… • Culture has advanced far beyond what natural selection created • Survival: Human life expectancy has nearly tripled • Reproduction: From one woman to 8 billion humans in 200,000 years

  35. ConclusionSocial…or cultural animal? • Humans are not the only, or even the most social of animals • Humans are the most cultural of animals and are the only ones who rely utterly on culture in most aspects of life

  36. The End

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