Maciej Górski

Conspiracy beliefs vary substantially across countries and regions, yet the ecological factors underlying this variation remain largely unexplored. Drawing on behavioral immune system theory, which suggests that pathogen threat can heighten vigilance toward potential dangers, we examined whether pathogen prevalence predicts conspiracy beliefs. Study 1 analyzed four cross-national datasets (20-32 countries) and found that conspiracy beliefs were higher in countries with greater historical pathogen prevalence. Study 2 tested this relationship in a preregistered study using a larger sample (N = 15,503 from 55 countries) and found that historical pathogen prevalence predicted higher levels of conspiracy beliefs. Study 3 extended these findings to the US state level using data from 123,781 participants across 50 states. Finally, Study 4 (N = 493) experimentally manipulated perceived pathogen prevalence and found causal effects on generic and vaccine-related conspiracy beliefs. These findings extend behavioral immune system research by relating pathogen-rich ecologies to contemporary conspiracy thinking.

Contemporary theories of emotion emphasize the dual role of emotions as both personal experiences and communicative signals during social interactions. However, the impact of macro-level societal structures on emotional expression remains underexplored. This study investigates the expression-experience discrepancy for self-reported emotions across nations, focusing on how societal development relates to this discrepancy, which captures expressivity. Using meta-analysis and multilevel modeling with a multinational sample ( N _sample = 12,549, k _nation = 48; Study 1), we assessed the directions and variabilities in the frequency of expression of both positive and negative emotions, relative to the frequency of experiencing them. Negative emotions were more likely to be under-expressed. Further analyses revealed that societal trust, system quality and fairness, and the human development index significantly predicted the size of these discrepancies. Surprisingly, these effects were not associated with traditional cultural dimensions such as individualism versus collectivism, providing new insights into the social functionality of emotions from a macro perspective. These findings were replicated in an extended multinational sample ( N _sample = 19,690, k _nation = 65; Study 2). Our findings highlight the importance of considering structural and societal factors in emotion research and provide a foundation for future explorations into the relations between cultural contexts and the expression of emotions.

Public evaluation of those in power is fundamental to societal stability. However, how people judge powerholders depends on their positions within the socioeconomic hierarchy. Drawing on two large-scale cross-cultural studies encompassing 160 samples from 80 cultures, we examined whether socioeconomic status (SES) shapes how people appraise the motive of institutional powerholders. Though scepticism toward powerholders was widespread across the socioeconomic spectrum, higher-SES individuals consistently attributed lesser self-orientation and greater other-orientation to powerholders. In less corrupt societies, perceptions of powerholders were more favourable, and SES-based differences were more pronounced, indicating that the quality of national governance matters as well. In contrast, in highly corrupt national contexts, class-based distinctions largely disappeared. These findings suggest that viewing authorities as serving the common good may be both a privilege of one’s socioeconomic position and a privilege of living in a well-governed society. The results carry important implications for institutional legitimacy, social mobility, and the possible psychological foundations of populist movements.

Rising global and local inequalities make prejudice based on social class an increasingly pressing issue, yet it remains underexplored in psychological literature. Across three studies run in Poland, we apply the Dual‐Process Model of Ideology and Prejudice and find that Social Dominance Orientation (SDO)—a preference for social hierarchy—predicts classism positively, but Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)—a preference for social order—serves as a negative predictor and a buffer to the effects of SDO. In Study 1 ( N = 529), RWA and SDO differentially and interactively predicted social distance toward the poor in a nationwide Polish sample. In Study 2 ( N = 382), an affective measure of prejudice was applied in a longitudinal design to show that stable levels of RWA and SDO, rather than their fluctuations, are responsible for this interactive effect. In Study 3 ( N = 468), SDO predicted social distance via affective classism, and RWA moderated this indirect effect. Results of three studies suggest that authoritarianism may not only be associated with lower classism but also limit the hostile potential of social dominance.

Contemporary theories of emotion emphasize the dual role of emotions as both personal experiences and communicative signals during social interactions. However, the impact of macro-level societal structures on emotional expression remains underexplored. This study investigates the experience-expression discrepancy for self-reported emotions across nations, focusing on how societal development influences this discrepancy, which captures expressivity. Using meta-analysis and multilevel modelling with a multinational sample N_sample = 12,549, k_nation = 48, Study 1), we assessed the directions and variabilities in the frequency of expression of both positive and negative emotions, relative to the frequency of experiencing them. Negative emotions were more likely to be under-expressed. Further analyses revealed that societal trust, system quality and fairness, and the human development index significantly predicted the size of these discrepancies. Surprisingly, these effects were not associated with traditional cultural dimensions such as individualism versus collectivism, providing new insights into the social functionality of emotions from a macro perspective. These findings were replicated in an extended multinational sample (N_sample = 19,690, k_nation = 65, Study 2). Our findings highlight the importance of considering structural and societal factors in emotion research and provide a foundation for future explorations into the relations between cultural contexts and the expression of emotions.

Even in the most egalitarian societies, hierarchies of power and status shape social life. However, power and received status are not synonymous—individuals in positions of power may or may not be accorded the respect corresponding to their role. Using a cooperatively collected dataset from 18,096 participants across 70 cultures, we investigate, through a survey‐based correlational design, when perceived position‐based power (operationalized as influence and control) of various powerholders is associated with their elevated social status (operationalized as perceived respect and instrumental social value). We document that the positive link between power and status characterizes most cultural regions, except for WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) and Post‐Soviet regions. The strength of this association depends on individual and cultural factors. First, the perceived other‐orientation of powerholders amplifies the positive link between perceived power and status. The perceived self‐orientation of powerholders weakens this relationship. Second, among cultures characterized by low Self‐Expression versus Harmony (e.g., South Korea, Taiwan), high Embeddedness (e.g., Senegal), and high Cultural Tightness (e.g., Malaysia), the association between power and status tends to be particularly strong. The results underline the importance of both individual perceptions and societal values in how position‐based power relates to social status.

Non-normative behavior at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is often met with outrage and condemnation, including from the Polish media. The research described in this article checked whether reactions such as laughter or using a phone – among other things, to take photographs – could serve a regulatory function for visitors to the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau rather than indicating disrespect for Holocaust victims. We conducted in-depth interviews with the Museum’s guides and observed museum visitors. In this way, we found that several non-normative reactions toHolocaust testimony appear quite commonly among visitors. Although these are stigmatized by the guides, the reactions appear adaptive in that they distance visitors from the potentially traumatizing Holocaust testimony.