--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Several social behaviors that economists…" description: "\"“Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well have a genetic basis. One is the radius of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg" --- # Several social behaviors that economists have identified… ![“Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well have a genetic basis. One is the radius of trust, which can extend to strangers in modern economies but is confined to family or tribe in premodern ones.” quote by Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg) > ““Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well have a genetic basis. One is the radius of trust, which can extend to strangers in modern economies but is confined to family or tribe in premodern ones.”” [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human social habits like trust may be shaped by genetics, differing between modern societies and older tribal groups. **In simple terms:** Trust levels differ across societies due to possible genetic influences. Key Takeaway Consider how trust shapes economic cooperation. Themes trust economics genetics social behavior Mood analytical thoughtful Type academic informative When to use this quote - business negotiations - community building - policy design - cross‑cultural research Key Concepts evolutionary psychology social capital Questions to Reflect On - How does genetic predisposition affect trust in your community? - Can trust be cultivated beyond innate tendencies? A Different Perspective Genetic explanations can oversimplify complex cultural and environmental factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behaviors Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviors-economists-2911330/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Genetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetic/) [Genetic Basis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetic-basis-1432346/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Ones Genetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ones-genetic-2911331/) [Social Behaviors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-behaviors-2911332/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [Thus the genetic basis to the origin of bird species is to be sought in the inheritance of adult traits that are subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-grant/thus-the-genetic-basis-to-the-origin-of-bird-species-is-to-be-sought/) [Peter R. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-grant/) > [“You, Cono, are part of a new trend of uncovering the genetic basis of human performance anomalies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-robert-lee/you-cono-are-part-of-a-new-trend-of-uncovering-the-genetic-basis-of/) [Victor Robert Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-robert-lee/) > [I really believe in sharing my story to improve social behaviors in the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/i-really-believe-in-sharing-my-story-to-improve-social-behaviors-in/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) > [Those social behaviors which automatically preclude the building of a democratic world must go - every social limitation of human beings in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/those-social-behaviors-which-automatically-preclude-the-building-of-a/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“There are a small number of debilitating conditions with a strong genetic basis, such as muscular dystrophy or Huntington’s disease. These are rare, affecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/there-are-a-small-number-of-debilitating-conditions-with-a-strong/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Genetic engineering is a result of science advancement, so I don't think that in itself is bad. If used wisely, genetics can be beneficial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/genetic-engineering-is-a-result-of-science-advancement-so-i-don-t/) [Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/) > [Soon it will be a sin for parents to have a child that carries the heavy burden of genetic disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-edwards/soon-it-will-be-a-sin-for-parents-to-have-a-child-that-carries-the/) [Bob Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-edwards/) > [The position of Autism Speaks has been for quite awhile that we need to find out what's happening. We know there's a genetic component,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-emken/the-position-of-autism-speaks-has-been-for-quite-awhile-that-we-need/) [Elizabeth Emken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-emken/) > [I never believed I'd have a six-pack, especially not at 35 years old. I always thought it was a genetic blessing. It's not. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sullivan-stapleton/i-never-believed-i-d-have-a-six-pack-especially-not-at-35-years-old-i/) [Sullivan Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sullivan-stapleton/) > [You know, there's a tremendous amount of genetic propensity not necessarily for what TV shows you like but for literally how you view the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/you-know-there-s-a-tremendous-amount-of-genetic-propensity-not/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I was in Vietnam, and I was exposed to Agent Orange. And there's a high relationship between people that were exposed to Agent Orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-jordan/i-was-in-vietnam-and-i-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-there-s-a-high/) [Hamilton Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-jordan/) > [Although self-control is inheritable and does run in families and has a genetic component, it's more like height than anything else. Height is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrie-moffitt/although-self-control-is-inheritable-and-does-run-in-families-and-has/) [Terrie Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrie-moffitt/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Nicholas Wade > [“there is every reason to suppose that people living in agrarian societies were subject to intense forces of natural selection. But what traits were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/there-is-every-reason-to-suppose-that-people-living-in-agrarian/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The English state thus constructed a system, later followed by other European countries, in which the ruler was subject to the law and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-english-state-thus-constructed-a-system-later-followed-by-other/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The king and queen were usually present, and the king or the dauphin would light a pyre. The cats were then tumbled into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-king-and-queen-were-usually-present-and-the-king-or-the-dauphin/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The Chinese state, from the days of the Qin, was an efficient, bureaucratized autocracy. Yet to this day, China has never developed the rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-chinese-state-from-the-days-of-the-qin-was-an-efficient/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Darwin’s theory of evolution, at least in its author’s eyes, dealt solely with the natural world. Yet it was as attractive to political theorists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/darwin-s-theory-of-evolution-at-least-in-its-author-s-eyes-dealt/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“ancient Greek word mousikē, from which the English word music is derived, means any art over which the Muses presided, hence included dance, music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/ancient-greek-word-mousik-from-which-the-english-word-music-is/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Another possibility is that the sweat glands were the driving force behind the rise of EDAR-V370A. East Asians are usually assumed to have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/another-possibility-is-that-the-sweat-glands-were-the-driving-force/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“When the glaciers retreated, starting around 20,000 years ago, both Europe and East Asia were repopulated by former northerners who had survived the Last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/when-the-glaciers-retreated-starting-around-20-000-years-ago-both/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Knowledge advances, funeral by funeral,” the economist Paul Samuelson once observed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/knowledge-advances-funeral-by-funeral-the-economist-paul-samuelson/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Several primate species have communication systems of considerable sophistication. Gelada baboons have 22 different kinds of call, and gorillas have been recorded using some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-primate-species-have-communication-systems-of-considerable/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“One of the strangest features of human anatomy, when people are compared with the other 200 monkey and ape species in the primate family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/one-of-the-strangest-features-of-human-anatomy-when-people-are/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“it is easy to recognize an evolutionary process at work that has molded the human form for better survival in an arctic environment. Populations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/it-is-easy-to-recognize-an-evolutionary-process-at-work-that-has/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Americans may already have begun adapting genetically to the American environment in the several generations since their ancestors arrived in the United States. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/americans-may-already-have-begun-adapting-genetically-to-the-american/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“others are still in the throes of the process. The Meso-Industrial Age, as it might be called, is the period during which the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/others-are-still-in-the-throes-of-the-process-the-meso-industrial-age/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) [Explore all 55 Nicholas Wade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## More Economics quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [Our engagement through international economics, trade, these trade agreements, is vital and is linked to our national security. This is a lesson we learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/our-engagement-through-international-economics-trade-these-trade/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [“The free-market economy and globalisation process have brought about, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, a sharp and sudden rise in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaakov-malkin/the-free-market-economy-and-globalisation-process-have-brought-about/) [Yaakov Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaakov-malkin/) > [“Everything economic science posits as given, that is, the range of dispositions of the economic agent which ground the illusion of the ahistorical universality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/everything-economic-science-posits-as-given-that-is-the-range-of/) [Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Having an economy that works for the 99% is achievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/having-an-economy-that-works-for-the-99-is-achievable/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/) [Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/) > [The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-system-of-private-property-is-the-most-important-guaranty-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/economists-have-a-singular-method-of-procedure-there-are-only-two/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) [Browse all 7,788 Economics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well have a genetic basis. One is the radius of trust, which can extend to strangers in modern economies but is confined to family or tribe in premodern ones.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Wade" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-social-behaviors-that-economists-have-identified-as-obstacles/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Economics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-social-behaviors-that-economists-have-identified-as-obstacles/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/nicholas-wade-11913_economics_several-social-behaviors-that-economists_1104558.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Several social behaviors that economists have identified as obstacles to progress are ones that could well…” — Nicholas Wade", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nicholas Wade", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Several social behaviors that economists have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-social-behaviors-that-economists-have-identified-as-obstacles/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/several-social-behaviors-that-economists-have-identified-as-obstacles/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```