Are holistic thinkers intellectually humbler? A first test

Abstract

Intellectual humility (IH) is the tendency to consider that one's beliefs might be fallible. In a pre-registered preliminary study with an undergraduate sample (n = 350), we adapted IH measures to Turkish and in line with past research, we replicated IH's positive correlation with Openness to Experience and negative correlation with Closed-Mindedness. However, IH was not related to Discomfort with Ambiguity. Moreover, consistent with recent theoretical discussions of an overlap between IH and certain aspects of East Asian worldviews, we found that holistic thinking tendency positively predicted IH scores, beyond social desirability and effortful thinking. Our confirmatory study (n = 693) revealed that higher levels of middle way approach and perception of change components of holistic thinking were associated with greater intellectual humility beyond demographics and other substantive predictors of IH. While the effects were small in magnitude and their generalizability awaits further testing, these associations are sensible and motivate continued exploration of the relationship between IH and holistic thinking.