New frontiers in historical psychology – HistoricalPsychology

Psychology is essential to understanding human history. When aggregated, changes in individual psychology - in the intensity of social trust, parental care or intellectual curiosity - can lead to significant changes in institutions, social norms and cultures. Yet the study of psychological changes over time remains difficult, since it is impossible to use standard methods (questionnaires, behavioral measures). Recent developments in psychology, however, suggest that cultural artifacts partly reflect the psychological traits of the individuals who produced or consumed them. It is therefore possible to carry out "historical psychology", i.e. to use the concepts and methods of psychology to trace and quantify the evolution of psychological traits over time.

The field of historical psychology is still very new. This project aims to pursue and extend this field by exploring 1) new cultures, especially non-Western cultures (China, Japan, India), 2) new psychological traits, especially parental investment, and 3) new historical materials, especially clothing.

The scientific contribution of this project is to contribute to a better understanding of human history by bringing psychological data to the debate. Historians and social scientists focus mainly on the role of economics, geography, technology, conflict and institutions in explaining historical change. On the other hand, psychology - i.e. changes in mentalities and preferences - is rarely considered as an explanatory factor in history. This project aims to give them their rightful place.