Speaker

2026 - The decline of deviancy

What happens when society becomes less weird?

Experimental Pyschologist, Adam Mastroianni, will look at the  striking cultural shift toward conformity, showing that mischief, risk-taking, and creative disruption are diminishing across generations.

Drawing on broad social data — from teen behaviour and crime to innovation and cultural trends — Mastroianni argues that while reduced harm and increased safety are remarkable achievements, they’ve also led to a stagnation of novelty and “weirdness” that once fuelled exploration and progress. Adam will challenge us to rethink deviance not as a social problem, but as a vital driver of imagination, risk, and possibility.

Adam, holds a PHD in Pyschology from Harvard. His work is covered by NPR, The New York Times and The Atlantic.