Rich Societies Research Articles

House prices and fertility: Can the Dutch housing crisis explain the post‐2010 fertility decline?

AbstractFertility has declined in many rich societies after 2010. However, the factors that explain this fertility decline remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about how changes on the housing market contributed to the fertility decline. This study examines the links between house prices and fertility in the Netherlands, a country where house prices have risen dramatically in the past decade. Regional (NUTS 3) data for the period 1995–2022 are analysed using within‐between models. The results for the within‐effect of house prices show that after 2010, fertility decreased (more) in regions where house prices increased (more), suggesting that the housing crisis in the Netherlands can explain a substantial part of the post‐2010 fertility decline. Before 2010, however, increases in regional house prices were associated with small increases in fertility, showing that the direction of the within‐effect of house prices depends on the time period that is studied. Finally, differences in house prices between regions are not consistently associated with fertility.

A Nonlinear ODE Model for a Consumeristic Society

In this paper, we introduce an ODE system to model the interaction between natural resources and human exploitation in a rich consumeristic society. In this model, the rate of change in population depends on wealth per capita, and the rate of consumption has a quadratic growth with respect to population and wealth. We distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources, and we introduce a replenishment term for non-renewable resources. We first obtain some information on the asymptotic behavior of wealth and population, then we compute all system equilibria and study their stability when the resource exploitation parameter is low. Some numerical simulations confirm the theoretical results and suggest directions for future research.

Happiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living.

Psychological science tends to treat subjective well-being and happiness synonymously. We start from the assumption that subjective well-being is more than being happy to ask the fundamental question: What is the ideal level of happiness? From a cross-cultural perspective, we propose that the idealization of attaining maximum levels of happiness may be especially characteristic of Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies but less so for others. Searching for an explanation for why "happiness maximization" might have emerged in these societies, we turn to studies linking cultures to their eco-environmental habitat. We discuss the premise that WEIRD cultures emerged in an exceptionally benign ecological habitat (i.e., faced relatively light existential pressures compared with other regions). We review the influence of the Gulf Stream on the Northwestern European climate as a source of these comparatively benign geographical conditions. We propose that the ecological conditions in which WEIRD societies emerged afforded them a basis to endorse happiness as a value and to idealize attaining its maximum level. To provide a nomological network for happiness maximization, we also studied some of its potential side effects, namely alcohol and drug consumption and abuse and the prevalence of mania. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reanalyze data from two large-scale studies on ideal levels of personal life satisfaction-the most common operationalization of happiness in psychology-involving respondents from 61 countries. We conclude that societies whose members seek to maximize happiness tend to be characterized as WEIRD, and generalizing this across societies can prove problematic if adopted at the ideological and policy level.

The diversity advantage: An explanatory framework for personality traits

Why do human beings exhibit enduring personality differences, and to what extent are these differences shaped by biological and cultural evolution? Despite ongoing efforts, a consensus framework remains elusive. This paper introduces the Diversity Advantage Theory, partially shifting the focus from how personality impacts individuals to its influence within groups. Through an evolutionary lens, connections among personality, collective cognition, and group dynamics are explored, revealing that diversity in personality traits would tend to enhance collective intelligence and foster deliberation, mitigating group biases. The framework proposes that biologically evolved psychological mechanisms underlying personality, including individual niche-finding, adapt and conform to culturally evolving heuristic personality traits. This co-evolution stabilized the Big Few personality traits in western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, addressing recurring group challenges related to engagement, closure, task, risk, and change. The Diversity Advantage Theory offers a novel explanatory framework for stable personality traits, aligning with biology and testable in contemporary group contexts. At least three novel perspectives are introduced: (1) personality trait dimensions have emerged, in part, to establish normative behavior for functional group processes; (2) normative diversity along trait dimensions enhances collective intelligence; and (3) such diversity should also promote deliberation, mitigate group biases, and improve group decision-making.

Co-defining WASH (In)Security challenges among people experiencing homelessness. A qualitative study on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation from Bonn, Germany

IntroductionAccess to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all is needed to safeguard human health, high on societal and political agendas. According to official estimates, populations in high-income countries (HICs) are well served. Vulnerable communities at the margins of rich societies, including people experiencing homelessness, however, are often underserved and overlooked. For them, safe WASH is often a dream rather than reality. To date, no study has been conducted in Germany – one of the countries most affected in Europe. MethodsWe chose a qualitative mixed-method approach to understand WASH (in)security challenges that people experiencing homelessness are facing. Data were collected in Bonn, Germany, from 25 people experiencing homelessness (in-depth interviews, arts-based workshops, group discussions), their service providers (social workers), and (un)available public infrastructure (inspections), in 2023. Data were analyzed following the dimensions of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation (HRTWS): availability; accessibility; affordability; acceptability; quality and safety. ResultsPeople experiencing homelessness largely lack available, accessible, affordable, acceptable and safe WASH. Open urination and defecation are often the only alternative, resulting in substantial health risks and diseases. Women face particular challenges, especially while menstruating. Extreme weather events complicate existing WASH insecurity further, creating additional hardships for unhoused people and their service providers. The missed realization of the HRTWS has far-reaching consequences, making it harder to transition out of homelessness. ConclusionsMuch remains to be done to serve unhoused people in HICs better with WASH. Their experiences shed light on the underlying complexities, and the implications of different often interconnected challenges, including instability, mobility, preexisting diseases, mental health conditions and substance use disorder. Different insecurities exist among different sub-groups (e.g. women, people with limited mobility). They are valuable key informants for targeted health messaging and interventions.

Causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes. Investigating Swedish 12-13-year old students’ geographical understanding

The aim of this study was to investigate students’ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes and to examine their geographical understanding of such hazards in terms of spatial and societal-nature relations. Data consists of 134 responses from 12 to 13-year-old students who had completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analysed using content and thematic analyses. Data was complemented with interviews. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of processes causing earthquakes at different plate boundaries, and why poor societies are more severely affected by earthquakes than rich societies. Furthermore, results show that students have a limited understanding of the extent and location of earthquakes in the world. We conclude that instruction aiming to develop students’ understanding of earthquakes as a geographical phenomenon and hazard may integrate map-reasoning skills with examples that support contextual thinking. We also suggest that in order to develop students’ relational thinking on society and nature, instruction can utilise the concept of “capital”. Furthermore, teaching needs to take in to account and design instruction to meet students’ alternative conceptions that societal consequences of earthquakes are solely predetermined by natural factors such as climate or heat.

Non-weird (psycho)linguistic endeavors: theoretical and metacognitive research with the Karajá of central Brazil

Cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics have historically been dominated by research conducted within Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies, resulting in a disproportionate representation of this demographic in scholarly investigations. In this article, we report basic and applied research investigating order of constituents and morphological representation and processing conducted with speakers of Karajá, a non-european language of Central Brazil. The basic research findings contribute novel insights about the Karajá language, challenging certain purported language universals while corroborating others, thereby enriching the broader understanding of human cognition. The applied research explores methodological avenues to foreground indigenous voices and perspectives into the investigation process, acknowledging the potential drawbacks of employing WEIRD analytical categories when exploring non-WEIRD languages. We invite speakers of the language to the center of the discussion in metacognitive activities in which speakers use their insights to formulate hypotheses and create a theory for the grammar of the language. In line with the discussions in Maia (2022) in which eye tracking data was used at the Middle school and University levels, in these Karajá sessions, we also used qualitative eye tracking data as an aid to help Karajá language teachers to “go meta”, as put by Mahdavi (2014). We conclude by stressing that if we are to take seriously the importance of non-WEIRD science to the WEIRD world, there ought to be an increasing recentering of “participants” to more protagonist roles in research.

Recent Trends in E-Teaching and Learning Context

The idea of electronic-learning is based on technology intervene globally, this learning approach has attained greater attention in view of educational perspective and the advantages of e-learning in educational viewpoint. The present study will provide insights of face-to-face teaching as well as e- learning and teaching importance and how it influenced the 21st century teaching learning process. However, the number of diverse e-learning programs available to crutch teaching and learning process which is found to be expanding robustly. The chief concern for educational developers as well as teachers in education sector was selection of e-technology. However, it is well ball parked that whichever teaching need best supports as well as provide optimum learning opportunities is regarded as beneficial and best e-learning technology. Hence, the present study highlights diverse e-technologies utilized in educational sector and which would be better in educational institutes for towards online learning to bridges the gap between a student and a teacher from whichever different geographical location they are present. The educational system around the world is undergoing increasing pressure to use the new information and communication technology to acquaint students with the knowledge and information and require in this techno-savvy Era. To develop a knowledge society, it is essential to integrate ICT at all levels of the education system, e-content is a very powerful tool of education. It is the latest method of instruction that has attracted the attention of learners and teachers of all instruction systems. It is a valuable resource for the development of an information rich society where everyone, irrespective of caste, religion, race, region, gender bias is empowered to create, receive share and utilize information and knowledge for their economic, social, cultural, political, etc. upliftment and development. E-learning and e-teaching systems are involved in teachers’ professional activities and development if e-learning/e-teaching is the technology which supports the process of teachers’ learning of university courses, the teacher is in the position of e-learner, if e-learning/e-teaching is the content of the teachers’ institution curricula to be applied in the teaching process, the teacher switches from the position of 21st century e-Learner to the one of e-teacher in blended/ e-learning systems.

THE IMPACT OF MUSICAL ART ON THE EMOTIONAL WORLD OF A PERSON AND SOCIETY

The article "The Influence of Musical Art on the Emotional World of a Person and Society" is a comprehensive study of the role that music plays in shaping the emotional state and socio-cultural environment. The author has carefully analysed the impact of music on the emotional spectrum of an individual, exploring various styles of music and their impact on the psyche and emotional state of the listener.
 The article highlights the significance of music as a key element of culture that can not only transform emotions on a personal level, but also influence collective emotional experiences in society. The author examines the interaction of music with the human mental state, identifying how different genres and compositions can evoke different emotional reactions and influence cognitive processes.
 Particular attention is paid to the role of music in shaping socio-cultural norms and stereotypes. The article explores how music affects the perception of various social situations, as well as how it promotes social cooperation and mutual understanding among individuals. The role of musical art as an element of cultural dialogue and a means of expressing social problems is defined.
 At the same time, the article analyses current scientific approaches to the study of the impact of music on mental health. The author considers the possibilities of using music therapy in clinical practice to treat various mental disorders and strengthen the emotional state of patients.
 The general conclusion of the article indicates that understanding the impact of music can have important consequences for the development of society. The author emphasises the importance of integrating music into educational and therapeutic practices in order to create a more balanced and emotionally rich society.

Emotion Granularity, Regulation, and Their Implications in Health: Broadening the Scope from a Cultural and Developmental Perspective

The ability to represent emotional experiences in a precise fashion with language, termed emotional granularity, is related to a number of beneficial outcomes. However, the emotion granularity construct and operationalization are rooted in the lens of so-called Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) societies that focus on emotions as a mental-state phenomena. Using evidence from multiple non-WEIRD societies, we illustrate that people's everyday vernacular often emphasizes bodily over, or in addition to, mental states. This suggests that granularity focused only on mental state language may limit our ability to operationalize this construct in a culturally valid manner. To overcome this limitation, we propose capturing “experiential” granularity and a concept model on how it may link to regulation and health.

Debiasing thinking among non-WEIRD reasoners

Human reasoning has been shown to be biased in a variety of situations. While most studies have focused on samples of WEIRD participants (from Western Educated Industrialized Rich and Democratic societies), the sparse non-WEIRD data on the topic suggest an even stronger propensity for biased reasoning. This could be explained by a competence issue (people lack the ability to integrate logical knowledge into their reasoning) or a performance issue (people possess the logical knowledge but do not know it is relevant). We addressed this question using a debiasing paradigm with the base-rate task on a sample of non-industrialized people, the Himba of Namibia. After a short training, most participants were debiased, lending credence to the performance account. Debiasing was however to some extent boosted by schooling and living environment suggesting that competence also plays a role (in that more acquired knowledge allows for a higher training benefit). Results imply that debias interventions can be successfully employed to boost sound reasoning around the world.

Study Regarding the Connection Between Leadership and Motivation in the Logistics Activity in the Production Organizations

Abstract The logistics services are represented by the logistic organizations through the characteristic features of the developed economies of the rich society. The mission of logistics can be found inside their centre. However, we well know that in the XXI century, the world economy is based on knowledge, and it is led by services, logistics being one of the main under the sector, next to the banking operations, tourism, education, or health. Taking into consideration that there are few studies which approach the part of leadership and motivation inside logistics, the main objective of research is to point out the relationship between leaders and employees, the type of leadership the company promotes, the motivation of the employees at the workplace inside the logistics department. The aim of the research is to offer a view of developing the abilities of leadership and motivation of the employees inside the logistics department. In this regard, a questionnaire was made and distributed to 30 people from the logistics department within the management and middle management group, inside a production profile company.

Encouraging diversity in family engagement in research: Reflections on the development of knowledge translation tools

BackgroundFamily engagement in research is crucial to generating relevant, impactful, and meaningful priorities and outcomes. Although there has been increased awareness and value for patient-oriented research, most patient partners in North America are from Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic societies. Encouraging underserviced and marginalized populations to join the partnerships is important. This project demonstrates the development of two knowledge translation tools created to encourage diversity in patient-family and researcher partnerships.Case studyOur diverse cross-Canadian team embodies the family-researcher partnership as it consists of two research personnel from non-Western origins with immigrant experiences, a parent with lived experience, and a project director. All group members have experience in the field of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Four infographics were created: 3 patient-oriented ones (in English, Chinese, and Farsi) and 1 researcher-targeted one. Content for the infographics were generated to address common barriers to patient engagement identified from literature reviews, as well as key concepts discussed during the McMaster University Continuing Education Family Engagement in Research Certificate Course sponsored by CanChild & Kids Brain Health Network. Peer consultations helped to improve the infographics to be more culturally sensitive and appealing. The patient-oriented infographic presents concise bullet points about 5 main topics: (1) what is research, (2) reasons to join, (3) your role, (4) talking to researchers, and (5) how to join. The researcher-targeted infographic presents concise bullet points about 4 topics: 1) why team up with diverse patient partners, (2) ways to partner, (3) how to connect, and (4) talking to diverse partners.ConclusionInfographics were co-designed to encourage diversity in family engagement in research. Lessons learned throughout the project include barriers encountered (e.g., team collaboration considerations, design limitations) and strategies that facilitated the project (e.g., online collaboration platforms). Future directions include translations into other languages, increased dissemination across agencies, and evaluating the effectiveness of the infographic tools.

Applying recommendation system for developing programming competencies in children from a non-weird context

The information society is part of current life, and algorithmic thinking and programming are relevant for everybody regardless of educational background. Today’s world needs professionals with computing competencies from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic Societies) and non-WEIRD contexts. Traditional programming languages include syntax barriers that complicate their overall adoption and usefulness for people from a non-WEIRD context. To solve it, block-based programming languages like Scratch permit the development of programming competencies without syntax restrictions in online environments. This article presents empirical evidence of the positive impact of Scratch with the CARAMBA recommendation system for lessons and exercises proposals based on collaborative filtering of personalized learning from students’ experiences. Previous experiences demonstrated that students require assistance in successfully defining sub-competencies and exercises to develop programming competencies by applying Scratch. This work shows the application of Scratch and CARAMBA in a non-WEIRD school context for developing programming competencies. Obtained results show that developing exercises with Scratch and CARAMBA motivated students’ autonomy, and as well, the programming learning application increased exam scores in all the analyzed grades. Those results encourage us to continue using Scratch and CARAMBA for developing programming competencies in similar non-WEIRD contexts.

Everyday Life of Ancient Bengal People: Food Habits and Dress-up

Food and clothing are two of the basic human needs. From cavemen to the modern age of mechanized civilization, people love to taste new foods. The number of foodies in today’s society is not very small. Similarly, it is not an exception in the case of clothing. The market is now flooded with new designs and styles of clothing. My current research is based on my interest to know about the food habits and clothing styles of the people of Ancient Bengal. Starting from knowing what kind of food the people of Ancient Bengal liked to eat, what kind of food they kept in their daily bill of fare, what kind of food was customary to eat at weddings or any festival, whether there was any difference in the diet of the rich society and the poor society, a clear idea of the human food chart can be obtained from this study. Besides, what kind of clothes did the people of Ancient Bengal wear, what was the style of clothing of men and women, whether there was any different in the style of clothing of upper class and lower-class family members, what kind of clothes were worn during festivals, many knowledge seekers are interested in knowing about these issues. But due to the lack of adequate and detailed research on Ancient Bengal, there is less scope to know about these issues. It was mainly with this goal in mind that I conducted my research.

საქართველოს ეკონომიკის დაჩქარებული ზრდის ხელშემწყობი და ხელშემშლელი ფაქტორები და სამეცნიერო საზოგადოების მოსაზრებები (შერჩევითი კვლევის შედეგები)

საქართველოს ეკონომიკის დაჩქარებული ზრდის ხელშემწყობი და ხელშემშლელი ფაქტორები და სამეცნიერო საზოგადოების მოსაზრებები (შერჩევითი კვლევის შედეგები)

Green Performance and Technological Competence of Human Resources Based on Industrial Revolution 4.0

Objective: The industrial revolution has changed the way humans work into automation/digitalization through innovations. Industry players play an active role as organizational entities that have a vision in achieving profits. The industrial revolution 4.0 which adopts the green concept has an impact on strategic transformation in the performance and technological competence of human resources. Green performance requires personal characteristics that are oriented towards the sustainability of the industrial environment and mastery of green technology. 
 Methodology: This research is qualitative research in the characteristic of library research, namely a series of activities related to library data collection methods, the research model uses an analytical descriptive method because this method is used to examine ongoing events and relate to current conditions. The initial article search returned as many as 90 articles. Furthermore, the selected articles were selected according to the research objectives by reading the title and abstract. The result is that the number of articles is 30 articles. The researcher chose again from 30 articles based on four focus research questions, and in the end, a total of 20 articles were reviewed.
 Results: The results indicate that the existence of an industrial revolution has advantages in developing competence and reducing consumption because, in this instance, there are prospects for e-commerce and the development of a digital green economy for industry players. Human resources and the industrial environment can both perform better when using green practices. To enable sustainable green innovation, green performance has to improve its technological proficiency. A rich society in development will result from the industrial revolution 4.0's synthesis, and people who live sustainably will be of the finest quality.
 Implication: The implications of this research provide valuable insights for green industry managers to formulate strategies and policies for transforming green technology competencies into green performance in industrial environments. This study is very useful for practitioners by identifying the benefits of linkage action between planned or realized green performance and green technology in the industry. This article provides a valuable reference for business players to consider implementing a green performance system that combines all communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative, innovative skills in using resources and efficiency of natural resources.

Burnout of emergency nurses in a South African context: the role of job demands and resources, and capabilities.

Emergency nurses are prone to burnout due to the nature of their profession and working environment, potentially putting their sustainable employability at risk and so too the care provided by and success of emergency departments. Psychological research has predominantly focused on samples drawn from western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, concerning a small part of the world population. Consequently, this study investigated emergency nurses' burnout in a non-WEIRD society and assessed the role of job demands-resources and work capabilities on their burnout levels. A total of 204 emergency nurses in a South African context participated in a cross-sectional survey. The Job Demands-Resources Scale, the Capability Set for Work Questionnaire, and the Burnout Assessment Tool-Short Form were administered. Using and developing knowledge and skills and building and maintaining meaningful relationships were the strongest work capabilities of emergency nurses. In contrast, earning a good income, involvement in important decisions, and contributing to something valuable were the weakest capabilities. Latent class analysis resulted in three capability sets: a robust capability set, an inadequate capability set, and a weak capability set. Regarding job resources, emergency nurses with a robust capability set reported better relationships with their supervisors and higher job autonomy than the inadequate and weak capability sets. In addition, emergency nurses with a robust capability set reported better co-worker relationships and better access to good equipment than those with a weak capability set. Nurses with an inadequate capability set experienced significantly more challenging job demands than the other two sets. Finally, nurses with a weak capability set (compared to the robust capability set) experienced significantly higher levels of exhaustion and mental distance. Improving emergency nurses' job resources (especially relationships with co-workers and supervisors, job autonomy, and equipment sufficiency) would increase their capabilities, decreasing their burnout levels, especially exhaustion and mental distance.

An interview study to explore applied psychologists' experiences of implementing health psychology in global health partnerships: The Change Exchange.

Health partnerships in global health aim to build capacity by strengthening training and education. Health psychology has an important role to play, as traditionally health partnerships focus upon increasing capability such as increasing knowledge but do not tackle opportunity and motivation. The Change Exchange recruits applied psychologist volunteers to utilize health psychology in global health partnerships, which is a novel approach. This study aimed to understand the experiences of applied psychologist volunteers working in health partnerships and how such interventions were implemented. Semi-structured interviews were carried out. Interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to explore the translation and implementation of health psychology in health partnerships. A deductive approach was then taken using the higher level constructs of the Normalization Process Theory to inform and interpret the themes into recommendations. Fifteen applied psychologists, all of whom were from the UK and had volunteered in health partnerships between the UK and low- to middle-income countries participated. Key themes and sub-themes were identified: (1) The challenges of the application of behavioural science within the health partnerships, (2) Building relationships within the health partnership, (3) Exploring the communal and individual effort carried out within the health partnership and (4) Reflecting on the work carried out within the health partnership. Barriers exist in regards to the implementation of health psychology in health partnerships but capacity building is possible. Recommendations suggest, future work should establish clear roles for applied psychologists in health partnerships and critical evaluation of current psychological models, methods and measures for use outside of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic societies.

Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Religiosity: Evidence from Germany

AbstractHow does a major external shock that potentially threatens the community and the individual impact religiosity in the context of ongoing secularization? Do individuals in a rich and secularized society such as Germany react to potential community‐level (sociotropic) and individual‐level (egotropic) threat with heightened religiosity? We estimate multilevel regression models to investigate the impact of sociotropic and egotropic existential security threats associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic on individuals’ religiosity. Our data come from a rolling cross‐sectional online survey conducted in Germany among 7,500 respondents across 13 waves in 2020. Our findings suggest that a global health pandemic such as COVID‐19 increases individuals’ perception of existential and economic threat, which, in turn, leads to an increase in religiosity. However, this relationship is only true for egotropic existential security threat but not for sociotropic threat. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings.