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Economic Change and Cultural Evolution: The Ultimate Influence of Human Cognitive Limitations

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Bordonaba-Bosque

    (Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • María A. González-Álvarez

    (Grupo CASETEM, Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50005 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Pedro C. Marijuán

    (Independent Scholar Affiliated to Bioinformation Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Jorge Navarro

    (Grupo Decisión Multicriterio Zaragoza (GDMZ), Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50005 Zaragoza, Spain)

Abstract

How cognitive limitations of individuals may affect the dynamics of cultural evolution under the effects of economic and technological forces is explored here. In particular, the extraordinary economic growth during the industrial and scientific revolutions of the last two centuries has been accompanied by an extraordinary acceleration of cultural changes. We will propose that these changes are due to competition, decay and replacement processes among the different kinds of cultural contents, ultimately resulting from our cognitive limitations. Different laws have been proposed recently for the decay of individualized cultural items and for the underlying competition processes, which will be discussed herein. With respect to the informational/cognitive limitations of individuals, the cognitive psychology views will be complemented—and somehow quantified—from the angle of the “social brain” or “sociotype” hypothesis. The generational phenomenon also emerges, by which differentiated generations develop a remarkable divergence in ways of life, aspirations, ideals, values, and often in the use of communication technologies. It is in this interactive individual–generational context of competitive processes that the acceleration of cultural change during the few last decades might be investigated by considering the vastly increased economic output and the widespread use of new communication technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Bordonaba-Bosque & María A. González-Álvarez & Pedro C. Marijuán & Jorge Navarro, 2025. "Economic Change and Cultural Evolution: The Ultimate Influence of Human Cognitive Limitations," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:14:y:2025:i:1:p:24-:d:1563253
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cristian Candia & C. Jara-Figueroa & Carlos Rodriguez-Sickert & Albert-László Barabási & César A. Hidalgo, 2019. "The universal decay of collective memory and attention," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 82-91, January.
    2. Jean-Pascal Daloz, 2008. "Towards The Cultural Contextualization Of Social Distinction," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(3), pages 305-320, November.
    3. Pan, Raj K. & Petersen, Alexander M. & Pammolli, Fabio & Fortunato, Santo, 2018. "The memory of science: Inflation, myopia, and the knowledge network," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 656-678.
    4. Andrew Lawson, 2013. "An Emotional History Of The Business Cycle," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 30-44, February.
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