ggchappell

Hello, Dr. Zimbardo.

A couple of decades ago, I read some of what you had written about Synanon and other "cult-ish" groups. I'm wondering what your current views are about such groups and how much some aspects of them ought to be imitated. Are these groups that society in general ought to learn from -- in terms of how to relate to each other, raise children, form a community, etc. -- or should we take more of a stay-away approach? And if we ought to learn from them, then how should we go about reshaping society while avoiding the many negatives of such groups?

Also, I'll second the question from /u/AnnonMiss: Why are people evil?

Hello, Katie. I've noticed that, if I (in the US) go to a restaurant serving food from India, China, Vietnam, Japan, etc., there are usually far fewer fermentation-based foods available than I would find in just about any restaurant based on a European culture. Do you know why this is? (I figure either food fermentation is much more common in Europe -- or some reason -- or else most fermented foods from eastern cultures are considered just too gross by many Americans, so they are left off the menu.)