--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Harvard University psychologist…" description: "\"“As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts it, there is no “bright line separating self from culture,” and the culture in which we develo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/cordelia-fine-22225_feminism_as-harvard-university-psychologist-mahza_946543.jpg" --- # As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts… ![“As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts it, there is no “bright line separating self from culture,” and the culture in which we develop and function enjoys a “deep reach” into our minds. It’s for this reason that we can’t understand gender differences in female and male minds – the…” quote by Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/cordelia-fine-22225_feminism_as-harvard-university-psychologist-mahza_946543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/cordelia-fine-22225_feminism_as-harvard-university-psychologist-mahza_946543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/cordelia-fine-22225_feminism_as-harvard-university-psychologist-mahza_946543.jpg) > ““As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts it, there is no “bright line separating self from culture,” and the culture in which we develop and function enjoys a “deep reach” into our minds. It’s for this reason that we can’t understand gender differences in female and male minds – the minds that are the source of our thoughts, feelings, abilities, motivations, and behavior – without understanding how psychologically permeable is the skull that separates the mind from the sociocultural context in which it operates. When the environment makes gender salient, there is a ripple effect on the mind. We start to think of ourselves in terms of our gender, and stereotypes and social expecations become more prominent in the mind. This can change self-perception, alter interests, debilitate or enhance ability, and trigger unintentional discrimination. In other words, the social context influences who you are, how you think, and what you do. And these thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of yours, in turn, become part of the social context. It’s intimate. It’s messy. And it demands a different way of thinking about gender.”” [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our minds are shaped by cultural context; gender cues trigger stereotypes that affect self‑view, interests, abilities, and behavior, creating a feedback loop between individual and society. **In simple terms:** Culture shapes mind and gender cues influence thoughts and actions. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural influence on gendered thinking. Themes psychology gender culture identity stereotypes Mood reflective analytical Type explanatory critical When to use this quote - education - workplace - media representation - personal relationships Key Concepts social cognition feedback loops permeability Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice gender cues affecting your decisions? - What can reduce stereotype impact in daily life? A Different Perspective Cultural influence is not absolute; individuals can resist stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Gender differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-differences/) [Harvard university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harvard-university/) [Male Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/male-minds-1657185/) [Mind Sociocultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-sociocultural-1657181/) [Ripple effect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ripple-effect/) [Separates Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separates-mind-1657182/) [Sexism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexism/) [Thinking Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-gender-1657184/) [Understand Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-gender-1657183/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) [Without u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-u/) ## Related quotes > [This doctrine, that of the ghost in the machine, strictly separates the mind or soul from the body. 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But women are more sensitized to the way that larger issues affect their pocketbooks, like pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-don-t-want-to-overstate-the-gender-difference-but-women-are-more/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [There is - and always will be - the legacy of chattel slavery in this nation, an obsession with racial and gender differences, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/there-is-and-always-will-be-the-legacy-of-chattel-slavery-in-this/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [“We are also greatly influenced by consumption norms within the relevant group. A light eater eats much more in a group of heavy eaters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/we-are-also-greatly-influenced-by-consumption-norms-within-the/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [Men have influenced my activism and feminism both positively and negatively. As most gender differences are social, not genetic, we still need to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-cox/men-have-influenced-my-activism-and-feminism-both-positively-and/) [Eva Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-cox/) ## More by Cordelia Fine > [“Some day, I must ask him what it's like to be married to someone who, eyes narrowed in thought, peers at him over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/some-day-i-must-ask-him-what-it-s-like-to-be-married-to-someone-who/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [A member of my family, who shall remain nameless, refers to all newborns as ‘blobs’.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/a-member-of-my-family-who-shall-remain-nameless-refers-to-all/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [Although self-reported endorsement of sexist attitudes didn’t predict hiring bias, self-reported objectivity in decision making did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/although-self-reported-endorsement-of-sexist-attitudes-didn-t-predict/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“While parenthood served as no disadvantage at all to men, there was evidence of a substantial "motherhood penalty". Mothers received only half as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/while-parenthood-served-as-no-disadvantage-at-all-to-men-there-was/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“As it happens, there’s a way of presenting data, called the funnel plot, that indicates whether or not the scientific literature is biased in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/as-it-happens-there-s-a-way-of-presenting-data-called-the-funnel-plot/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [Both women and computer science are the losers when a geeky stereotype serves as an unnecessary gatekeeper to the profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/both-women-and-computer-science-are-the-losers-when-a-geeky/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“My husband would probably like you to know that, for the sake of my research for this chapter, he has had to put up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/my-husband-would-probably-like-you-to-know-that-for-the-sake-of-my/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“University of Otago social historian Hera Cook provides a beautiful illustration of exactly this point in her rich account of the sexual revolution.49 Cook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/university-of-otago-social-historian-hera-cook-provides-a-beautiful/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Here’s another example that some overworked mothers might find inspiring. We saw in Chapter 2 that being the one who produces the sperm doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/here-s-another-example-that-some-overworked-mothers-might-find/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’) and the prescriptive (‘women should be gentle’) elements of gender stereotypes create a problem for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/in-other-words-both-the-descriptive-women-are-gentle-and-the/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Our minds, society and neurosexism create difference. Together, they wire gender. But the wiring is soft, not hard. It is flexible, malleable and changeable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/our-minds-society-and-neurosexism-create-difference-together-they/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“The tape measures and weighing scales of the Victorian brain scientists have been supplanted by powerful neuroimaging technologies, but there is still a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/the-tape-measures-and-weighing-scales-of-the-victorian-brain/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“When women display the necessary confidence in their skills and comfort with power, they run the risk of being regarded as ‘competent but cold’:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/when-women-display-the-necessary-confidence-in-their-skills-and/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“With a particular person in mind, or in anticipation of interacting with them, self-conception adjusts to create a shared reality. This means that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/with-a-particular-person-in-mind-or-in-anticipation-of-interacting/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Consider, for example, a cichlid fish known as Haplochromis burtoni that comes from the lakes of East Africa.9 In this species, only a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/consider-for-example-a-cichlid-fish-known-as-haplochromis-burtoni/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) [Explore all 28 Cordelia Fine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) ## More Feminism quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) [Joseph Joffre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joffre/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Women rule the world. 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Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts it, there is no “bright line separating self from culture,” and the culture in which we develop and function enjoys a “deep reach” into our minds. It’s for this reason that we can’t understand gender differences in female and male minds – the minds that are the source of our thoughts, feelings, abilities, motivations, and behavior – without understanding how psychologically permeable is the skull that separates the mind from the sociocultural context in which it operates. When the environment makes gender salient, there is a ripple effect on the mind. 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