Are emotions the same everywhere in the world? In this episode, Zeina Matar and Joseph Shaules explore the challenge of adjusting to different emotional “logics” across cultures. We look at research into whether “basic” emotions are the same around the world, and argue that emotion is a “constructed” . . . and thus highly cultural, experience.
People often talk about culture in simple terms–as when someone says: I want to learn about ‘the culture’. In fact, culture is a highly complex phenomenon. In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray discuss how complexity theory can help us understand the dynamic nature of culture. They touch on emergent properties, fractals, and the “simplification bias” – our tendency to experience complexity in simple ways. We also hear from Emre Seven and Zeina Matar and explore the challenges of developing a more complex understanding of culture.
Do you identify more as a global citizen than with a particular country or community? Is it possible to go beyond one’s cultural point of view? In this episode, Joseph Shaules, Daniel Glinz, Ishita Ray and Emre Seven discuss what it means to be a global citizen or to have a global mindset. Daniel–who has wide and deep intercultural experience–believes it’s not possible to be “global” since we can never fully go beyond our local perspective. And this is backed up by insights from brain and mind sciences as well. If so, then just what is a global mindset?
Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol explore why it can be so hard to talk about culture and measure cultural difference. They discuss three ways of looking at culture . . . as being, doing, and seeing. They discuss “classic” research into cultural difference (e.g. Hofstede) and argue that brain-mind sciences are shedding new light on cultural difference and can help us make better sense of our intercultural experiences.
Joseph Shaules and Emre Seven talk about how foreign experiences take us out of our comfort zone. This can lead us to the groan zone, the learning zone, the growth zone and the panic zone! We talk about our work with study-abroad students and how the auto-pilot of everyday life – the intuitive mind – is key to managing our comfort zone. We explore how the work of Jack Mezirow can help us understand what makes foreign experiences so transformational.
