Weirdest People in the World

An exhilarating account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture shaped the Western mind.

Perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. If so, you're psychologically peculiar.

Unlike most of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist and analytical. They focus on themselves - their attributes, accomplishments and aspirations - over their relationships and social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically distinct? What role did these psychological differences play in the industrial revolution and the global expansion of European power during the last few centuries? And what does it mean for our sense of who we are individually and of the large-scale forces that drive humanity?

Joseph Henrich, who coined this influential concept, explores these questions by drawing on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics and evolutionary biology. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage and religion, and the profound impact they had. It was these changing institutions that gave rise to the WEIRD psychology that would co-evolve with impersonal markets, specialization of work and free competition - laying the foundations for the modern world.