What’s W.E.I.R.D.

W.E.I.R.D. is an acronym that stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Developed. This term is often used in social sciences, particularly in psychology and anthropology, to describe a specific subset of the global population that has been overrepresented in many research studies.

The acronym highlights the characteristics of societies that are typically:

• Western: Primarily referring to North American and European cultures
• Educated: Having high levels of formal education
• Industrialized: With economies based on large-scale industry
• Rich: Relatively wealthy compared to global standards
• Developed: Having advanced technological and economic systems

RoW v. WEIRD

The concept of WEIRD is often contrasted with the "Rest of World" (RoW), which includes populations and cultures that don't fit these specific characteristics. This distinction is important in research contexts to recognize potential biases and limitations in studies that primarily focus on WEIRD populations.

Wyrd v. W.E.I.R.D.

What: SUP : “I’m demographically W.E.I.R.D.; psychographically Wyrd.

Wyrd

• Old English word meaning "fate" or "destiny"
• Rooted in ancient Germanic and Norse mythology
• Represents the concept of personal destiny or fate
• Often associated with the supernatural or mystical

While W.E.I.R.D. is used to categorize a specific subset of the global population, "wyrd" is a concept that transcends demographic categories and speaks to universal human experiences of fate and destiny.