What Is Normal? How Culture Affects Communication Styles

Why do we drive on only one side of the road? Why don’t we sing in libraries? Why wear a swimsuit?

For professor of organizational behavior Michele Gelfand, it all comes down to culture. As a cross-cultural psychologist, Gelfand is fascinated by social environments and their effects on human behavior, particularly, how strictly people adhere to social norms.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Gelfand joins host and lecturer of strategic communications Matt Abrahams to explain why some cultures are “tight” and “have strict social norms,” while others are “loose,” with “more permissibility of behavior.”