Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson
we find the past perfect
and the present tense.
Audio: When were the good old days?
Here’s a little quirk about me - I enjoy discovering when I’m wrong.
Not always, of course. In my life, I’ve been wrong about some major things that have have hurt the people I love. Being wrong about those things is awful, heartbreaking and painful.
But less consequential things and especially things that don’t hurt others - well, then I enjoy finding out I’m wrong. Not only has being wrong helped me stay open minded, it’s also helped me know that I can’t always believe what I think, because, well, I might be wrong.
A few weeks ago I read a scientific article that proved I’m wrong about something. I’m sharing it here because it’s a smart, well written article by Adam Mastroianni, called The illusion of moral decline.
Adam’s writes a fantastic and widely read Substack called
The illusion of moral decline is his PhD dissertation and was published this June in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature. Since then, it’s been covered by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Science, and hundreds more magazines, blogs and newspapers.Why is everyone so interested? Because, we all have our own idea about the good old days. The days when people were kinder, when they were honest and when they earned our respect. It’s most certainly not today with the world going to hell in a hand basket.
When did humanity take a turn for the worse? Was it the hippies? Was it rock and roll? Can we blame teenagers, the tech industry or Big Pharma? Did social media turn the tide? What about declining church attendance and fake news? Adam Mastroianni has asked people around the globe about moral decline and his answer pertains to all us.
The article is funny, sweeping and significant.
You can certainly sift through the Nature publication (below), or read articles (also below), but I recommend taking a look at Adam’s ‘short version’ on Experimental History.
“Dan and I set out to answer three questions. First, do most people think morality has declined, or is it just a vocal minority of curmudgeons? Second, could the curmudgeons be right? And third, if people are wrong and morality is not declining, why do people think it is?”
For more reading, references and a link to Nature:
The Atlantic: Are you plagued by the feeling that everyone used to be nicer?
The Guardian: We are not in moral decline - we have always behaved badly.
The Washington Post: Think we’re losing our morals? That’s a common illusion, research says.
NATURE: The illusion of moral decline
Mastroianni, A.M., Gilbert, D.T. The illusion of moral decline. Nature 618, 782–789 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06137-x
If you like methods, procedures, studies and statistics, the full Nature article is Open Access (not just for the scientists). If you would like to share, quote or reference the Nature article, please see below for the rights & permissions:
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