New study finds a simple rule behind how social norms spread

(gc.cuny.edu)

5 points | by hhs 13 hours ago ago

2 comments

  • devanshranjan 13 hours ago

    Feels like people don’t really think through norms, they just see something often enough and accept it as the default.

  • bell-cot 12 hours ago

    > “People often assume that social learning is about imitation or careful optimization,” said Spencer Caplan, Linguistics professor at the CUNY Graduate Center and co-lead author of the study. “What we found is something more basic and more human: People explore different options, but once a pattern crosses the threshold of ‘good enough,’ they commit to it — and stick with it even when there’s some conflicting evidence.”

    Remarkably similar to Feynman's Rule for deciding on a dessert.