The Gist

Tight Countries, Loose Countries

We’re used to thinking of nations as liberal or conservative. Cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand has a new axis to consider.

Loose norms and a crowded train during the 26-hour journey from Beijing to Chengdu, in China, on Feb. 10.

Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Listen to Slate’s The Gist:

Slate Plus members: Get your ad-free podcast feed

Listen to The Gist via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

On The Gist, National Review has one good take on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation story … and a lot of bad ones.

In the interview, we’re used to thinking of societies along the “liberal/conservative” spectrum, but cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand has her own axis to consider: tight versus loose. They aren’t quite the same: Abu Dhabi, for instance, may be conservative, but its role as the crossroads of the Middle East lends it looser norms. In Scandinavia, we’ve got the opposite. Gelfand’s book is Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World.

In the Spiel, you wrote in, and Mike read up: It’s time for the Lobstar of the Antentwig.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus.

Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.

Email: thegist@slate.com
Twitter: @slategist

Podcast production by Pierre Bienaimé and Daniel Schroeder.