Thomas Talhelm
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Mail code: 1104Campus: Tempe
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Thomas Talhelm studies culture. He studies how rice and wheat agriculture have given northern and southern China two very different cultures, influencing whether people wear masks and move chairs in Starbucks. He argues that people often misunderstand collectivism. People imagine collectivism is about loving everyone, as opposed to the responsibilities, tight ties, and vigilance in the real world. His recent studies found that money is more motivating in Western cultures. His research also finds that liberal culture in the US is more individualistic and that getting people to think more analytically increases support for liberal social policies, whereas thinking holistically increases support for conservative policies. Thomas occasionally gives talks and writes about psychology in Chinese.
Thomas lived in China for five years teaching high school in Guangzhou as a Princeton in Asia fellow, a freelance journalist in Beijing, and a Fulbright scholar and a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. While living in Beijing, Thomas founded Smart Air, a social enterprise that ships low-cost air purifiers to help people breathe clean air without shelling out thousands of dollars for expensive purifiers.
Thomas earned his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Virginia and a B.A. with Highest Honors in psychology and Spanish from the University of Michigan.
Thomas received his undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish with a philosophy minor from the University of Michigan. He completed his PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Virginia.