Why Super Weak Relationships?

How does it actually happen that everyone in the audience at a concert moves their heads in the same rhythm, that of the music? Why do all people snap similar photos when they are traveling? Why can you recognize people’s professions and fields of study by their clothing? Why is there such a respectful atmosphere in cases of mourning? In this book, I ask about the mechanisms behind the emergence of such phenomena. We deal with the development of culture and the question of how it is passed on in a social context. The key—as the result already anticipated here—is found in relationships between people. This also involves, but not primarily, our partnerships, friendships, and kinship relationships. We do not primarily focus on the looser relationships with acquaintances, whom we rarely meet. Here, it is about even looser relationships, which only arise through shared presence and the possibility of mutual observation. The answer to the questions raised is found in the super weak relationships.