Navigating the unknown: The sociocultural and metacognitive architecture of wisdom

Psychological wisdom research has shifted from characterizing rare exemplars to specifying processes that support sound judgment under uncertainty. Yet it has advanced along two siloed tracks: research on folk theories (cultural tools such as proverbs, heuristics, exemplars, and narratives) and scientific models of mechanisms involved in wise judgment. This review bridges these research tracks using a situated metacognitive lens: folk theories provide candidate attributes or strategies for action, whereas perspectival metacognition—the capacity to recognize epistemic limits, coordinate viewpoints, and track uncertainty and change—regulates their context-sensitive selection and use. We synthesize evidence connecting wisdom-related processes to emotional balance, relational well-being, cooperation, and reduced polarization, while noting boundary conditions. We show how this synthesis sharpens measurement trade-offs, highlighting limits of global self-report and advances in situated assessment. Finally, we summarize work on development and cultivation (from brief prompts to practice-based habit formation), and consider socio-ecological implications in an AI-shaped world.