The Authenticity of Cultural Products: A Psychological Perspective

Authenticity is a central concern in the evaluation of cultural products. But why do people judge some cultural products as more authentic than others? We provide a psychological explanation centered on the judgment of authenticity as a “truth-seeking” process. Observers evaluate whether the perceivable features of the cultural product truthfully capture cultural knowledge as well as the inferred agency control and intentionality of the producer as a conveyer of cultural knowledge. We argue that while no cultural product is inherently authentic, individuals rely on the same psychological processes when judging cultural products’ authenticity. We discuss how our approach applies to any cultural product, including art, architecture, cuisine, tourism, and sports.