The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms
Do social norms really matter, or are they just behavioral idiosyncrasies that become associated with a group? Social norms are generally considered as a collection of formal or informal rules, but where do these rules come from and why do we follow them? The definition for social norm varies by fie...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Societies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/5/111 |
| _version_ | 1797598338277703680 |
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| author | Jennifer A. Loughmiller-Cardinal James Scott Cardinal |
| author_facet | Jennifer A. Loughmiller-Cardinal James Scott Cardinal |
| author_sort | Jennifer A. Loughmiller-Cardinal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Do social norms really matter, or are they just behavioral idiosyncrasies that become associated with a group? Social norms are generally considered as a collection of formal or informal rules, but where do these rules come from and why do we follow them? The definition for social norm varies by field of study, and how norms are established and maintained remain substantially open questions across the behavioral sciences. In reviewing the literature on social norms across multiple disciplines, we found that the common thread appears to be information. Here, we show that norms are not merely rules or strategies, but part of a more rudimentary social process for capturing and retaining information within a social network. We have found that the emergence of norms can be better explained as an efficient system of communicating, filtering, and preserving experiential information. By reconsidering social norms and institutions in terms of information, we show that they are not merely conventions that facilitate the coordination of social behavior. They are, instead, the objective of that social coordination and, potentially, of the evolutionary adaptation of sociality itself. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:19:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d71f1965f9b84084942fc51beaaeed85 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4698 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:19:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Societies |
| spelling | doaj.art-d71f1965f9b84084942fc51beaaeed852023-11-18T03:16:37ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982023-04-0113511110.3390/soc13050111The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social NormsJennifer A. Loughmiller-Cardinal0James Scott Cardinal1Rubicon Insight Social Consulting, LLC, Westerlo, NY 12193, USARubicon Insight Social Consulting, LLC, Westerlo, NY 12193, USADo social norms really matter, or are they just behavioral idiosyncrasies that become associated with a group? Social norms are generally considered as a collection of formal or informal rules, but where do these rules come from and why do we follow them? The definition for social norm varies by field of study, and how norms are established and maintained remain substantially open questions across the behavioral sciences. In reviewing the literature on social norms across multiple disciplines, we found that the common thread appears to be information. Here, we show that norms are not merely rules or strategies, but part of a more rudimentary social process for capturing and retaining information within a social network. We have found that the emergence of norms can be better explained as an efficient system of communicating, filtering, and preserving experiential information. By reconsidering social norms and institutions in terms of information, we show that they are not merely conventions that facilitate the coordination of social behavior. They are, instead, the objective of that social coordination and, potentially, of the evolutionary adaptation of sociality itself.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/5/111social normssocial institutionsinformationsocial cognitionnormative beliefcultural evolution |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer A. Loughmiller-Cardinal James Scott Cardinal The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms Societies social norms social institutions information social cognition normative belief cultural evolution |
| title | The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms |
| title_full | The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms |
| title_fullStr | The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms |
| title_short | The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms |
| title_sort | behavior of information a reconsideration of social norms |
| topic | social norms social institutions information social cognition normative belief cultural evolution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/5/111 |
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