# Media coverage for "The church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation" November 08, 2019 - [ News ](/news-categories/news) “If the authors are right, or even in the vicinity of being right, it couldn’t be bigger,” says Stephen Stich, a philosopher and cognitive scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who wasn’t involved in the work. “What they are offering to explain is the emergence of democratic institutions, of individualism in the West.” In what may come as a surprise to freethinkers and nonconformists happily defying social conventions these days in New York City, Paris, Sydney and other centers of Western culture, Dr. Henrich and collegaues' study traces the origins of contemporary individualism to the powerful influence of the Catholic Church in Europe more than 1,000 years ago, during the Middle Ages. See below for a comprehensive list of media coverage on the published study in *Science*. If you are aware of coverage in another outlet not listed below, we welcome you to notify us! Please email . [Brisbane Times (AUS)](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/europe/medieval-catholicism-explains-the-differences-between-cultures-to-this-day-researchers-say-20191115-p53axb.html) [The Columbian](https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/nov/10/catholics-influence-on-culture-profound/) [Cosmos Magazine](https://cosmosmagazine.com/society/the-west-won-out-when-cousins-stopped-kissing) [Deric's Mindblog (blog post by Deric Bownds)](https://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2019/11/explaining-puzzle-of-human-diversity-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20Mindblog%20(MindBlog)) [EurekAlert! (AAAS)](https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-11/aaft-tm110419.php) [Harvard Magazine](https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2019/11/can-the-catholic-church-help-explain-western-psychology) [Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/article/60755-influence-western-church-modern-families) [LongRoom News](https://www.longroom.com/discussion/1691103/mapping-the-end-of-incest-and-dawn-of-individualism) [Marginal Revolution (blog post by economist Tyler Cowen)](https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2019/11/did-the-medieval-church-make-us-weird.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20marginalrevolution/feed%20(Marginal%20Revolution)) [The National Post](https://nationalpost.com/news/world/medieval-catholicism-explains-the-differences-between-cultures-to-this-day-researchers-say) [National Public Radio (NPR)](https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/11/07/777276474/western-individualism-may-have-roots-in-the-medieval-churchs-obsession-with-ince) [Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/medieval-catholic-church-marriage-family-psychology-westerners-1470350) [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2019-11-incest-dawn-individualism.html) [Science Magazine](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/how-early-christian-church-gave-birth-today-s-weird-europeans) [Scientific American](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/western-individualism-arose-from-incest-taboo/) [ScienceNews](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/medieval-catholic-church-may-have-helped-spark-western-individualism) [The Telegraph (UK)](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/11/07/medieval-catholic-church-triggered-rise-individualistic-western/) [United Press International (UPI)](https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/11/08/Church-effort-against-incest-led-to-rise-of-individualism-in-the-West/6371573222719/) The Washington Post [(1)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/11/07/new-science-studys-theory-medieval-catholicism-explains-difference-between-cultures-this-day/) [(2)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/07/heres-weird-thing-about-post-christian-christendom/) [Yahoo! News](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/medieval-catholic-church-triggered-rise-190000118.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWx0bWV0cmljLmNvbS9kZXRhaWxzLzY5OTQ2ODA5L25ld3M&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJX8lhtDjnCCvA5vnzN8tHcXKRRKvqPxL-9MqCVyn3ME97ghyqUNJtFoVqoGxhUl82pYHVfmkgJ-BZ-Z_2-SsfZmqhpF98v2O96cDz9b7WQ951GR_-ksl3IHL829pVQ_-fqdg_5DdKmx4G2nhbFEry9XoXCQH_TbcQFqXEWvlhiH) **French** [Le Devoir](https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/science/566688/et-si-l-eglise-medievale-avait-dote-les-occidentaux-d-une-psyche-particuliere) **German** [Deutschlandfunk Nova](https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/nachrichten/gesellschaft-wie-die-katholische-kirche-individualismus-gefoerdert-hat) [Die Presse](https://www.diepresse.com/5718560/so-forderte-die-kirche-den-individualismus) [Frankfurter Allegemeine](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/was-die-irche-mit-unserem-charakter-zu-tun-hat-16473953.html) [Psylex](https://psylex.de/psychologie-lexikon/religionspsychologie/katholische-kirche.html) [Science ORF](https://science.orf.at/stories/2994015/) [Wiener Zeitung](https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/wissen/mensch/2037239-Kirche-sorgte-fuer-kulturelle-Vielfalt-und-Individualismus.html) [Wissenschaft](https://www.wissenschaft.de/gesellschaft-psychologie/wie-die-kirche-unsere-psyche-praegte/) **Spanish** [La Vanguardia](https://www.lavanguardia.com/ciencia/20191107/471439002652/tabu-incesto-europeos-mas-individualistas-iglesia.html) **Polish** [Kopalnia Wiedzy](https://kopalniawiedzy.pl/Zachod-indywidualizm-Kosciol-malzenstwo-kazirodztwo-rodzina-nuklearna,31002) [RMF24](/%C2%A0https://www.rmf24.pl/nauka/news-indywidualizm-kultury-zachodu-zawdzieczamy-kosciolowi-katoli,nId,3324487) **Portuguese** [ZAP AEIOU](https://zap.aeiou.pt/igreja-catolica-moldou-sociedade-ocidental-deu-luz-europeus-estranhos-290898) **Audio** [Science Podcast](https://www.sciencemag.org/podcast/unearthing-slavery-caribbean-and-catholic-church-s-influence-modern-psychology) [Radio Canada (French) (see "L'influence de le religion catholique...")](https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/les-annees-lumiere) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)