What is it about?
How do social norms form? Our work shows they can emerge naturally from the way people learn from feedback. By extending a simple learning model (“actor–critic”) to social interactions, we explain why norms often become cooperative, biased toward group members, resistant to change, and diverse across communities.
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Why is it important?
Most theories of norms either focus on why certain norms arise or how they spread, often with conflicting assumptions. Our model is unique because it unifies these perspectives under one simple, well-established learning mechanism. This contribution offers a new foundation for explaining cooperation, cultural diversity, and resistance to social change—insights that could help address pressing issues like climate action, polarization, and the impact of social media.
Perspectives
For me this work grew out of our emerging understand of the kinds of learning process that our emotions make possible. Specifically, it was the realizing that by conveying feedback between people, social emotions like anger and gratitude create a learning process that operates now within but between people. I hope the work will help bridge between our understanding of learning and emotions at the individual levels with group behavior.
Eran Eldar
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How social norms emerge: The interindividual actor–critic., Psychological Review, September 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/rev0000585.
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