470. The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism

According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; we’re also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on “uncertainty avoidance,” if that makes you feel better). We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldn’t change them even if we wanted to.

Episode 470 of the Freakonomics Radio podcast, hosted by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher, titled "470. The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism" was published on July 22, 2021 and runs 47 minutes.

July 22, 2021 ·47m · Freakonomics Radio

Summary

According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; we’re also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on “uncertainty avoidance,” if that makes you feel better). We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldn’t change them even if we wanted to.

Episode Description