GUARDIANS OF THE LAKE

When personal interests mobilize to protect social capital

Five percent of the population does not derive any enjoyment from music. Researchers from the University of Barcelona, while screening candidates for a study designed to assess the emotional impact of listening to music, were surprised to discover that one in every 20 candidates showed no physiological response to melodies played to them, had no music player of any type in their home, and did not listen to music via the computer. The same proportion of the population (5%) is color-blind or has a food allergy.

There is something fascinating in the way nature dispenses exceptional characteristics, including important personal traits. One in every 20 Americans suffers from a severe psychological problem such as schizophrenia, persistent depression or a bipolar disorder. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that another study found that nearly one in every 20 business executives may be a psychopath. The ratio of 1:20 is appealing when it reflects personal choice: when you belong to 5% of the population by choice, you are special, for better or worse, yet you’re not alone. One in every 20 U.S. citizens chooses vegetarianism, and one in every 20—not the same one, apparently—chooses to believe that bin Laden is alive.

The Big Five model in psychology (which we’ve already encountered in the chapter entitled “I’ve Seen Happy Conservatives”) attributes the range of human behavior to a combination of five dimensions of basic human characteristics (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism), and contends that we can define our personality by ranking ourselves in each of these traits. Conscientiousness represents our readiness to work hard, focus and assume responsibility—in short, all the qualities we attribute to those we define as “serious people.”

The American radio personality and writer Rush Limbaugh is quoted as saying: “You want at least 5% of the population being serious. That 5, 6% of the population carries the rest of the people. You’ve heard that old axiom: ‘5% of the people pull the wagon; 95% are in it.’”

Indeed, when we look at social and personal responsibility—where our values, conscientiousness and willpower are expressed—we find support for the 1:20 ratio coming from unexpected directions. For example, only one in 20 people wash their hands properly after going to the bathroom. Researchers from the University of Michigan observed 3,749 visitors to public bathrooms and were appalled to discover that 10% didn’t wash their hands at all, a third skipped using soap, and only 5% bothered to use soap and wash their hands for more than 15 seconds, the time required to destroy germs and various contaminants. (Incidentally, women were stricter than men in their personal-hygiene habits.)

One in 20 is also the percentage of the population that lost weight following a diet and maintained their lower weight over time. Five percent is the proportion of organ donors in Western countries that lack legislation or special programs to encourage organ donation. And if I have to guess, probably one in 20 people write a will and thus show responsibility for what they’ve accumulated during their lives and for what they’ll leave behind them.

Imagine for a moment that the pool of social capital and level of interpersonal trust in a society are like a lake with a limited supply of fish, and the individuals in that society are fishermen living in a village abutting the lake. It’s easy to understand why the village’s future requires it to place limits on fishing by its residents—in order to prevent the fish population from dropping to a dangerous level. A fisherman who exceeds the quota will substantially improve his situation, but if many others act the same way, the fish supply will quickly dwindle and everyone will suffer, including the fishermen who exceeded the quota allotted to them. Many people cannot withstand the temptation to exceed fishing limits, and the social system does not denounce them and sometimes even lauds their success.

But there are a few people who not only comply with the allotted fishing quota, but also try to convince others to do the same; they work hard on ways to enrich the fishing and ensure its long-term sustainability. I call them the “Guardians of the Lake,” and it’s already clear to me that one in every 20 people qualifies for membership in this fraternity. Are you one?