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How social norms — within a culture, a city, a household — drive our decisions

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode The hidden forces shaping your choices.

Social norms vary dramatically from one culture to another — but why? Psychologist Michele Gelfand unpacks why societies and individuals develop either tight or loose attitudes toward rules.

About Michele Gelfand

Michele Gelfand is a professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and professor of psychology by courtesy at Stanford University. She is the author of Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World.

Gelfand created a quiz to see where you fall on the tight-loose spectrum.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and James Delahoussaye. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Web Resources

Related TED Talk: The surprising psychology behind your urge to break the rules

Related TED Topic: Psychology

Related TED Talk: Is parenting advice leading to more anxious kids?

Related NPR Links

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Copyright 2025 NPR

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Katie Monteleone
Katie Monteleone is a producer for TED Radio Hour. She started out as an intern for the show in January 2019. After her internship, Monteleone began producing for Life Kit before returning to the TED Radio Hour team in October 2019 as a full-time producer.
Sanaz Meshkinpour
[Copyright 2024 NPR]