The Secret of Our Success

Lesson 1: Influenced by Culture

Who do you consider a “big shot’? Who do you turn to when you have a problem? Why are celebrity endorsers
so effective?

Joseph Henrich stated that The Secret of Our Success has something to do with implications of cultural
evolution for designing new organizations,  institutions and policies. Here are Henrich views:

1. Humans are adaptive cultural learners who acquire ideas, beliefs, values,
social norms, motivations, and worldviews from others in their
communities.
We humans, from the time we were born learn to adapt to our
environment in order to grow and develop. To focus our cultural learning, We
use cues of prestige, success, sex, dialect, and ethnicity, among others, and
especially attend to particular domains, such as those involving food, sex,
danger, and norm violations. We do this especially under uncertainty, time
pressure, and stress.
( Muadapt kita sa ato environment pero mupili kita sin o ang ato
sundon. Ang cues pasabot mga signals/signs or indicator. Isa ka indicator
ang Prestige, ang status or reputation nan isa katawo, muprefer gajud kita
mulook up sa isa katawo na ngayanan or sikat. Sa sex, mostly ang yaki na
bata ang ija hauron ang lihok nan ija papa, pagbaji ang sa ija mama or in a
neutral mentality ang sundon natu na lihok ang preferred natu mahaud.
Dialect, uman ang bata sa ija pagdaku mahibayo man sija musulti? Kay
na kadaapt sija sa sinultihan nan mga tawo na nakapalibot sa ija. Ethnicity or
ang kultura ang isa sab n abasihan nan tawo para mahibayo. Kon hain kaw
nagtubo, ang kultura sab nan adto na lugar ang imo hibay an.)

The secret of our species’ success resides not in the power of our individual
minds, but in the collective brains of our communities. Our collective brains
arise from the synthesis of our cultural and social natures- from the fact that we
readily learn from others (are cultural) and can, with the right norms, live in large
and widely interconnected groups (are social). Hunting practices, tool-making skills,
tracking know-how, and edible-plant knowledge began to improve and aggregate-
by learning from others- so that one generation could build on and hone the skills
and know-how gleaned from the previous generation. After several generations, this
process produced a sufficiently large and complex toolkit of practices and
techniques that individuals, relying only on their own ingenuity and personal
experiences, could not get anywhere close to figuring out over their lifetime.
(Ang secret nan ato success nakadepende sa ato collective brains.Meaning,
ang mga nahibay an nan ato mga ninuno sa una pa gjud tagpasa or na adapt nan
next generation then tag improve, same sab taghimo nan next pa gjud na
generation until ni abot ta ka kuman na henerasyon na high tech na. Pero dili ini
possible kon aja mag inija ija.)

The
variety
of tools
increase
s with
increasi
2. To adopt costly practices or nonintuitive beliefs, such as eating a strange
food or believing in life after death, we demand Credibility Enhancing
Displays (CREDs).
Our models must endure costs, such as extreme pain or big financial hits, that
demonstrate their deep commitment to their expressed beliefs or practices. CREDs can
turn pain into pleasure and make martyrs into the most powerful of cultural transmitters.
Our capacities for learning from others are themselves finely honed products of natural
selection. We are adaptive learners who, even as infants, carefully select when, what, and
from whom to learn.
( Muadapt kita human sa pinakauna we have cues or indicators diri sa ikaduha aja
ra sija maglaung na muhanap kita nan credibility/reliability or characteristics na
makalaung na masaligan. Taglahi kita pagtan aw nan credibilidad nan isa ka tawo. For
example while others think na si Mayor Vico Sotto sikat kumn na naghatag nan standard
nan sakto na pamamalakad jauy sab iban na mas muprefer sa pamaagi nan North Korean
Leader or Russian leader. Nakadepende jaun sa credibilidad na tagtan aw natu na mas
makatabang para makasurvive kita.)

3. Humans are status seekers and are strongly influenced by prestige.

But what’s highly flexible is which behaviors or actions lead to high prestige. People
will grant others great prestige for being fierce warriors or gentle nuns.
Saint Ambrose, who convinced rich Romans in late antiquity that they had to give
their wealth to the poor. Only by giving generously would they prove themselves worthy
of the kingdom of heaven. Of course, before Ambrose began this campaign, he gave away
most of his substantial wealth (CRED).
(Mukan aw ta sa status nan isa katawo sanan ija credibilidad. Example si President
Duterte, ija tagsulti na simple ra sija na pagkatawo and tagtuohan jaun nan kadaghanan
kay makita sa ija bayay sa Davao, lihok nija ang ija pamaro na simple ra gjud sija. So isa
ini na indication unoy jauy mutuo sa ija.)

4. Social norms can change how we view and behave towards others.
The social norms we acquire often come with internalized motivations and
ways of viewing the world (guiding our attention and memory), as well as with
standards for judging and punishing others.
People’s preferences and motivations are not fixed, and a well – designed program
or policy can change what people find desirable, automatic, and intuitive.
(Ang ato Social Norm or ang cultura nan isa ka lugar makaimpluwensya sa panan
aw nan isa ka tawo. Example, diri sa Pilipinas, jaun sa ato kultura ang pagkaconservative
specially sa baji. That’s why lain ang to panan aw sa mga tawo na liberated mag-isip or
manukbot baro. Kon sa iban pa lugar haud sa Japan, ang proper way na paghatag nan
credit card or towel kay dapat duha kakamot imo gamit pagduhoy.)

5. Social norms are especially strong and enduring when they hook into our
innate psychology.
 For example, social norms that demand mothers care for their children will be much
easier to spread and sustain than the norms for fairness toward foreigners.’
(Mas bug at ang bond nan Social Norm or Culture sa magkadugo kaysa dili.
Example, jaun sa ato kultura ang pagtinabangay pero mas mutabang kaw if imo anak or
ginikanan or lumon ang nangajo tabang sa imo.)

6. Innovation depends on the expansion of our collective brains

which themselves depend on the ability of social norms, institutions, and the
psychologies they create to encourage people to freely generate, share, and
recombine novel ideas, beliefs, insights, and practices.
(Mas hamok na ato kasocialize, mas hamok na information ato makuha mas
maadvance ato gamit through innovation or development.)

7. Different societies, different formal institutions

Different societies possess quite different social norms, institutions,
languages, and technologies, and consequently they possess different ways of
reasoning, mental heuristics, motivations, and emotional reactions.
(Taglahi na lugar, taglahi na pamalakad. Example kuman sa case nan Covid
19. Sa Korea ya sila mag implement nan lockdown while diri sa Pilipinas
nagcommunity quarantuine. Kay man? Sa ila lugar advance ila health care
system so dili jaun applicable sa ato diri sa Pilipinas. Ang saligang batas nan
Pilipinas lahi sa iban kay na kabasi ini sa kultura, panginahanglan sanan
kakayahan nan ato lugar. Dili pwd jaun permi ta mulaung na hauron dakan
nat ang bats nan USA or Korea or Japan kay di jaun mutugma sa ato.)

8. Humans are bad at intentionally designing effective institutions and

organizations.
We should take “variation and selection systems” that will allow alternative
institutions or organizational forms to compete. We can dump the losers, keep the
winners, and hopefully gain some general insights during the process.
(Jauy ato mentalidad na collect and select. Kay man? Individually we are bad in
making choices or creating a perfect institution. Udsa ngan jauy ato 24 ka senators na
magpropse nan bill nadebate kon okay ba or dili na himo na balaud.)

Lesson 2: Influenced by Gene – Culture Coevolution or the Dual Inheritance Theory

Explain how human behavior is a product of two different and
interacting evolutionary processes: genetic evolution and cultural evolution. Genes and
culture continually interact in a feedback loop, changes in genes can lead to changes in
culture which can then influence genetic selection, and vise versa. 
(Kon kan Joseph Henrich ang culture da ang kamainpluwensya sa ato, ini na theory
naglaung both culture and Genetics jauy role sa tawo.)
Theoretical Basis
 • Culture capacities are adaptations

The human capacity to store and transmit culture arose from genetically evolved
psychological mechanisms.
(Isa kaproof sa ini na theory jaun kakayahan nat magtransmit or mag adapt sa culture kay
gkan daw sa ato genetics. Ang theory na Mitochondrial Eve, nagstate ini na ang tanan tawo matrace daw sa
isa kasource which is the mother or sinugdanan nan tanan tawo. So by this, we can conclude since isa ray ato
taggikanan ang cultural transmission or movement gakn dili ra kon pina agi sa nakit an na na cultura kon dili apil sa
ato genes.)

• Culture evolves

Social learning processes give rise to cultural evolution. Cultural traits are transmitted
differently from genetic traits and, therefore, result in different population-level effects on
behavioural variation.
(Taglahi na tawo taglahi na kinaija . So kon kon maghamok ang tawo special from different
societies tas may socialize sila mas mudabu sab ang cultura na mabuo kay pwede nila mamerge
ang kinaija. Example, sa mga tawo na taglahi na nationality ang parents, makadevelop sila nan
ila kaugalingon culture or pamatasan.)

• Genes and culture co evolve

Cultural traits alter the social and physical environments under which genetic selection
operates. 
(Ang nature ug ang nurture parehas jaun sila mag iban. Depende sa kultura nan isa
kacommunidad pwd mabag o ang environment and ini makabag o sab sa tawo in a molecular
level. Isa ka example nan ini si Audrey Hepburn. Gwapa, a super star during the world war 2 okay
ang ija lawas, bisan kuyang ang pagkaon or jauy shortage still nakasurvive sija pero after nan
pila ka years nakaapekto adto sa ija. She had many health problems na naresult sa ija
pagkapatay.)

Assessment: ½ crosswise. Which Theory do you prefer? Why?

 Technology and Lifestyle

Technology
can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils,
but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and
techniques.
Lifestyle
denote the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual,
group, or culture

Advantages of Technology Disadvantages Of Technology

 Helps us to gather information.  Some people are addicted to it.
 Comfort in a click  Wasting money.
-Online shopping, remote  Poor eyesight.
powered gadgets, etc.  Plagiazed works.
 Diversifying personal networks  Don’t do household chores
 Online education and tutorial  Lack of privacy
 Indoor games using computers  Increase of cyber crime.
 Customization  Many lives are destroyed. (Death
 Entertainment anytime Threats)
anywhere  Spreading of viruses.

The advancing technology gave as happiness in a box. But

• When you listened to the singing of the birds for last time?
• When you, read a book (Novel, Short story) for last time?
• When you had your time together with your family members?
• But surely more than that you may have sat infront of PCs LAPTOPS to make yourself fill
with ARTIFICIAL SATISFACTION