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Socioecological factors are linked to changes in prevalence of contempt over time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2017

Michael E. W. Varnum  and
Igor Grossmann
Michael E. W. Varnum
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104. mvarnum@asu.eduhttps://psychology.clas.asu.edu/research/labs/cultural-neuroscience-lab-varnum
Igor Grossmann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada. igrossma@uwaterloo.cahttp://uwaterloo.ca/wisdom-and-culture-lab/
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Abstract

Gervais & Fessler argue that the perceived legitimacy of contempt has declined over time in the United States, citing evidence of a decrease in the frequency of its use in the American English corpus. We argue that this decline in contempt, as reflected in cultural products, is linked to shifts in key socioecological features previously associated with other forms of cultural change.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e250
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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