**10 minutes with Geert Hofstede on Indulgence versus Restraint 01032015 โ€” Transcript & Summary | SozAI** Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/geert-hofstede-indulgence-restraint/ Geert Hofstede explains the cultural dimension of Indulgence vs Restraint, highlighting its impact on happiness, social norms, and societal behaviors across 93 countries. ## Key Takeaways - Indulgence versus Restraint is a key cultural dimension influencing happiness, social behavior, and life control perceptions. - Indulgent societies foster optimism, leisure, and social connectivity, while restrained societies emphasize discipline, work, and order. - Cultural values measured by IVR correlate with social attitudes toward freedom, crime, birth rates, obesity, and cultural openness. - The dimension helps explain global cultural differences and regional clusters when combined with other Hofstede dimensions. - Societal indulgence levels have increased globally over time but maintain consistent relative rankings among countries. ## What the video covers - Indulgence versus Restraint is the sixth cultural dimension identified by Geert Hofstede and Michael Minkov, based on World Values Survey data from 1990-2004 covering 93 countries. - Indulgent societies allow free gratification of natural human desires, promoting enjoyment of life and fun, while restrained societies suppress gratification through strict social norms. - People in indulgent societies tend to feel healthier, happier, and have a stronger perception of personal life control compared to those in restrained societies. - Indulgent societies emphasize leisure, optimism, extroversion, importance of friendships, active sports participation, and looser moral discipline. - Restrained societies emphasize work ethic, pessimism, introversion, less importance on friendships, passive sports participation, and stricter moral and sexual norms. - The Indulgence versus Restraint Index (IVR) ranges from 0 (restrained) to 100 (indulgent), with countries like Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, and the US scoring high on indulgence, and Japan, Germany, Egypt, and Islamic countries scoring low. - Indulgent societies prioritize freedom of speech and tend to have higher crime rates but smaller police forces, while restrained societies prioritize maintaining order with lower crime rates and larger police forces. - In educated populations, indulgent societies have higher birth rates and obesity rates, and show greater approval of foreign music and films compared to restrained societies. - Combining indulgence with long-term versus short-term orientation reveals regional cultural clusters, such as indulgent short-term in Americas and Africa, restrained long-term in East Asia and Eastern Europe, and indulgent long-term in parts of Western Europe. - Research shows a global trend toward increasing indulgence over the past 30 years, though relative country positions remain stable. Answers ## Questions about this video What is the Indulgence versus Restraint dimension? It is a cultural dimension identified by Geert Hofstede and Michael Minkov that measures the extent to which societies allow free gratification of natural human desires (indulgence) versus suppressing them through strict social norms (restraint). How does indulgence affect people's happiness and health perception? People in indulgent societies tend to feel healthier and happier and perceive greater personal control over their lives, even if objective health measures are similar to those in restrained societies. Which countries are considered indulgent and which are restrained? Indulgent countries include Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States, while restrained countries include Japan, Germany, Italy, India, China, Russia, Egypt, and many Islamic countries. ## Full Transcript โ€” Download SRT & Markdown 00:00 Speaker A [Music] Dimension indulgence versus restraint is the sixth and most recent dimension. The term was coined by Dr. Michael Minkov for covering certain differences he had found in the World Values Survey that so far had not yet been found in the other five dimensions. It is mainly related to feelings of subjective happiness or unhappiness and the control of people's own life or the opposite. It is based on data collected by the World Values Survey in the period 1990s till 2004, and we have again data for 93 countries. Indulgent societies allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires, leading to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint societies suppress gratification of needs and regulate it by strict social norms. If I oppose a number of characteristics of indulgent societies and restraint societies, taking into account that most societies are somewhere in between those extremes, I see that on the indulgence side people tend to feel healthier and happier, and on the restrained society they feel less happy and less healthy, although objectively they may be equally healthy. In the indulgent societies, people have a perception of personal life control. They are masters about their own life. In the restrained societies, people tend to feel that what happens to them is not their own doing; it depends on other factors. Indulgent societies have a leisure ethic, you could say, and restraint societies have a work ethic. Indulgent societies have a more optimistic, positive attitude, and restrained societies have a more pessimistic, cynical attitude. Indulgent societies have more extroverted personalities, and restrained societies have more introverted personalities. In indulgent societies, having friends is very important; in restraint societies, having friends is less important. This is evident in something like Facebook. In indulgent societies, people participate actively in sports. In restrained societies, there is less sports participation. Sports are things you watch; you see others do, but you don't do it yourself. Indulgent societies have less moral discipline; restraint societies have stricter moral disciplines, and this also applies to sexual morals, which are looser on the indulgence side and more strict on the restraint side. How do we measure a society's level of indulgence versus restraint? There is no absolute standard again, so we can only compare one society to another. The difference between societies is expressed in an index, the indulgence versus restraint index, and the abbreviation is IVR. Again, IVR values have been plotted on a scale from zero to 100, and zero stands for restrained societies, and 100 stands for an indulgent society. I have chosen from the 93 countries for which we have data, and on the indulgent side you find Mexico, very indulgent, Nigeria and also some other African countries, but also Sweden, for example, and Australia and Britain and the Netherlands and the United States, and somewhat lower but still indulgent Brazil. On the restraint side, we find France and Japan, Japan and Germany and Italy and India and China, and quite restrained Russia, and extremely restrained Egypt and other Islamic countries. Now, what can we do with this index? What does it correlate with? Well, first of all, there is a very interesting opposition. If you ask what is important to people, you find in indulgent societies that freedom of speech for all is very important, and this is not so in the restrained societies. The opposite of freedom of speech seems to be maintaining order in the nation. So in the restrained societies, the feeling is that maintaining order in the nation is more important than having freedom of speech. Indulgent societies tend to have higher crime rates; nevertheless, they tend to have smaller police forces, and restrained societies have lower crime rates and larger police forces. In countries with educated populations, the indulgent societies tend to have higher birth rates. In countries with educated populations, restrained societies tend to have lower birth rates. In wealthy countries, indulgent societies tend to have more obese people, more fat people. In restrained societies, there is less obesity in wealthy countries. Finally, in indulgent societies, there is higher approval of foreign music and films, and in restrained societies, there's lower approval of foreignness in music and in films. The combination of the two dimensions, which we derived from the World Values Survey, long versus short-term orientation and indulgence versus restraint, leads to an interesting division of areas in the world. We find that on the indulgence plus short-term side, we have some African countries, not all. Nigeria and South Africa are there, and all the countries of South America and of North America and Australia. On the restraint and short-term side, we find a few countries like Poland and Portugal, some African countries like Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, and finally all Islamic countries. On the restrained and long-term side, we find the East Asian countries Japan, India, and China. We find the countries of Eastern Europe and also Italy and Germany. On the indulgence and long-term side, we find the other German-speaking countries Austria and Switzerland. We find the Netherlands and Belgium. We also find Sweden and Britain. They reflect values clearly that were transferred from parents to children, values that change difficultly in later life. Now, there was a research project by Professor Burgl from Honan who compared answers of two successive age cohorts 30 years apart, and in this research, there is a clear effect on indulgence. It means that over the 30 years, the level of indulgence in the world has grown, so societies have become more indulgent, and the number of restrained societies has diminished. But the position of countries relative to each other has remained the same. So if they have shifted, they shifted together, and this is what the scores are based on. So the scores again of this dimension can be assumed to be stable over time. [Music] 00:44 Speaker A been found in the other five dimensions and it is mainly related to feelings of subjective happiness or unhappiness and the control of the people's own life or the opposite and um it is based on data collected by the world value survey in the period 01:08 Speaker A 19905 till 2004 and we have again data for 93 countries indulgent societies allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires leading to enjoying life and having fun restraint societies they suppress gratification of needs and regulate it 01:37 Speaker A by strict social norms if I oppose a number of characteristics of indulgent societies restraint societies taking into account that most societies are somewhere in between those extremes and I see that on the Indulgence side people tend to feel 01:59 Speaker A healthier and happier and on the restrained Society they feel less happy and less healthy although objectively they may be equally healthy in the onic societies people have a perception of personal life control they are mes about their own 02:17 Speaker A life in the restrained societies people tend to feel that what happens to them is not their own doing it depends on other factors indulgent societies have a leisure ethic you could say and restraint societies have a work ethic indulgent societies have a more 02:39 Speaker A Optimist positive attitude and restrained society as a more pessimist cynical attitude indulgent societies have more extroverted personalities and restrained societies have more introverted Personalities in indulgent societies having friends is very important in Restraint societies having friends as less important this is evident in 03:06 Speaker A something like Facebook in ENT societies there people participate actively in sports in restrained societies there is less Sports participation sports are things you watch you see others do but you don't do it yourself indulgent societies have less moral discipline restraint societies 03:31 Speaker A have stricter moral disciplines and this also applies to sexual morals which are Loser on the intelligence side and more strict on the restraint side how do we measure a society's level of indulgence versus restraint there is no absolute standard 03:56 Speaker A again so we can only compare one Society to another is the difference between societies and this difference is expressed in an index the Indulgence versus restraints index and the abbreviation is ivr and again ivr values have been plotted on a scale from zero to 100s and 04:19 Speaker A zero stands for restrained societies and 100 stand for an indulgent Society I have chosen from the 93 countries for which we have data and on the indulgent side you find uh Mexico very indulgent uh Nigeria and also some other 04:41 Speaker A African countries but also Sweden for example and Australia and Britain and the Netherlands and the United States and somewhat lower but still indulgent Brazil and then on the restraint side we find France and Japan Jaan and Germany and Italy and India and China and quite 05:07 Speaker A restrained Russia and extremely restrained Egypt and other Islamic countries now what can we do with this index what does it correlate with well first of all there is an very interesting opposition if you ask what is important to people you find in 05:30 Speaker A indulgent societies that freedom of speech for all is very important and this is not so in the restrained societies and the opposite of freedom of speech seems to be maintaining order in the nation so in the restrained societies the feeling is that 05:47 Speaker A maintaining order in the nation is more important than having freedom of speech indulgent societies tend to have higher crime rates nevertheless they tend to have smaller police forces and restrained societies have lower crime rates and larger police forces in countries with educated 06:10 Speaker A population the indulgent societies tend to have higher birth rates in countries with educated population restraint societies tend to have lower birth rates in wealthy countries indulgent societies tend to have more obese people more fat people in restrained societies 06:33 Speaker A there is less obesitas in wealthy countries and finally in indulgent societies there is higher approval of foreign music and films and the restrain societies there's lower approval of foreignness in music and in films the combination of the two Dimensions which 06:54 Speaker A we derived from the world value survey long versus short shortterm orientation and Indulgence versus restraint leads to an interesting division of areas in the world uh we find that um on the Indulgence plus shortterm side uh we have uh some African countries not all 07:22 Speaker A Nigeria and South Africa are there and all the countries of South America and of North America and Australia on the restraint and shortterm side we find a few countries like Poland and Portugal some African countries like Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso and finally 07:45 Speaker A all Islamic countries on the restrained and long-term side we find the East Asian countries Japan India and China we find the countries of Eastern Europe and also Italy and Germany and on the Indulgence and long-term side we find 08:08 Speaker A the other German speaking countries Austria and Switzerland we find the Netherlands and Belgium we also find Sweden and Britain they reflect values clearly that were transferred from parents to children values that change difficultly in later life now there was 08:30 Speaker A a research project by Professor burgl from Honan who compared answers of two successive age cohorts 30 years apart and in this research there is a clear effect on Indulgence it means that over the 30 years the level of 08:49 Speaker A Indulgence in the world has grown so societies have become more Indulgence and number of restrained societies has diminished but the position of countries relative to each other has remained the same so uh if they have shifted they shifted 09:09 Speaker A together and this is what the scores are based on so the scores again of this Dimension can be assumed to be stable over time [Music] Topics: Geert Hofstede Indulgence versus Restraint Cultural dimensions World Values Survey Hofstede IVR index Cultural comparison Subjective happiness Social norms Cultural psychology Cross-cultural research --- This is the markdown twin of https://sozai.app/transcript/geert-hofstede-indulgence-restraint/ โ€” the same content, without the markup. 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