The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous

An exhilarating account of how psychology, culture and institutions co-evolved to produce the Western mind

Do you identify yourself by your profession or achievements, rather than your family network? Do you cultivate your unique attributes and personal goals? If so, perhaps you are WEIRD- raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Unlike most who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, nonconformist, analytical and control-oriented. Joseph Henrich, who developed the game-changing concept of WEIRD, draws on leading-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics and evolutionary biology to explore how changing family structures, marriage practices and religious beliefs since the Middle Ages shaped the Western mind, laying the foundations for the world we know today.