Freakonomics Radio attempts to explain why we behave as we do from an academic perspective Malcom Gladwell wrote a book entitled "Outliers" Although our public schools have taught us America was settled by some Pilgrims seeking religious freedom, in a sense they were outliers, willing to take huge risks in order to obtain this so-called "freedom" from the religious constraints imposed on them by the Church of England. In fact, 25 percent of Europe's population that migrated to America in the Colonial Era could be considered outliers. They felt their talent and drive to succeed was constrained by the mainstream elites, so they packed up and took a huge risk to seek their fortunes.
The US is the most individualistic country in the world. EPISODE 470 The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism (Replay) According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; we’re also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on “uncertainty avoidance,” if that makes you feel better). We look at how these traits affect our daily lives and why we couldn’t change them even if we wanted to.
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