Riada and Jay Van Bavel on ”Power of US” - Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony

Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

In today’s fascinating conversation, Riada talks to Dr. Jay Van Bavel about the dynamics of shared identities, what causes people to develop a social identity, and what happens to people when they define themselves in terms of group memberships. Identities are not a stable or a static thing, but Jay also explained what does conformity to norm accomplish for a group. We also addressed toxic patterns of standard group and identity dynamics, and you might be surprised to learn why we go along with others. Jay told us about studies that reveal some critical lessons about human nature, including that people are not blindly obedient to authorities, but that a sense of common identity is crucial to understanding when people help and support one another. Learn why dissent is important even when difficult, and why on social media or offline, people can be led into belief-confirming information bubbles. Finally, learn why would the group cling to the belief system even after watching it get debunked, as well as the importance of leadership and how it influences the group norms, and the behavior of the group of people when they take on an identity. I hope you enjoy this great conversation, and appreciate the tools that you can learn to harness “The Power of Us” for good. Jay Van Bavel is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business in Management and Organizations, and Director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab. From neurons to social networks, Jay’s research examines how collective concerns—group identities, moral values, and political beliefs—shape the mind, brain, and behavior. His research team studies these issues using a social neuroscience approach, that incorporates neuroimaging, lesion patients, social cognitive tasks, cross-cultural surveys, and linguistic analysis of social media posts. Jay has published over 100 academic publications and written research essays in The New York Times, BBC, Scientific American, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, and the Washington Post. His work has appeared in academic papers as well as in the US Supreme Court and Senate. He has also given talks at dozens of the Psychology Departments and Business Schools, as well as academic conferences, professional events, and non-academic organizations. His research was also featured in TEDx and TED-Ed videos.