Beyond genes and parents: The effects of cultural products on human psychology

The human mind is shaped by a complex interplay of factors. Genetic inheritance lays the foundation, predisposing us to certain cognitive tendencies and emotional patterns. These are then shaped by parents and caregivers, and increasingly by other adults and peers as we, as children, enter the instructional system and further acquire social attitudes, norms, values. All the while, exposure to cultural products begins exerting their twofold influence on our mind: what we think and how we think. In my presentation, I focus on the latter. I propose that cultural products can be heuristically distinguished between Confirming and Challenging, provide evidence of the distinctive features of these two classes of products, and present data as well as a theoretical model of how these features impact our social cognition and ultimately shape the way we see and navigate the social world, from interpersonal relationships to life in complex societies.