Stories by Thomas Talhelm

Thomas Talhelm is an associate professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He researches cultural differences and how southern China’s history of rice farming gave it a different culture from China’s wheat-farming north.

Split image of 100 rupee note on left and 100 dollar note on right

PsychologyAugust 22, 2025

Cash Rewards Have Less Sway in Collectivistic Cultures

Money talks louder in some languages than others

Thomas Talhelm

Illustration of a lake the shape of a head, with barren land and a bull's skull surrounding it.

PsychologyDecember 15, 2023

Water Scarcity Changes How People Think

Lacking money makes people focus on the present—but lacking water makes them plan for the future

Thomas Talhelm, Hamidreza Harati

OpinionJanuary 5, 2023

What Rice-Farming Cultures Can Teach Us about Pandemic Preparedness

Societies that farm rice over wheat tend to be more tight-knit and interdependent, which could protect them from pandemic viruses like the one behind COVID

Thomas Talhelm

Close up view of a child's fingers coloring with crayons.

CreativityFebruary 28, 2022

Cowboy Culture Doesn’t Have a Monopoly on Innovation

Despite stereotypes that suggest self-reliant values lead to the most innovations, group-centered societies have just as much creativity

Thomas Talhelm