Wisdom in time: Advancing dynamic models of wisdom, intellectual humility, open-mindedness, and perspective-taking

Dynamic theories of wisdom emphasize that metacognitive attributes—including intellectual humility, open-mindedness, and empathy/perspective-taking—evolve in response to life’s challenges. These attributes are further recognized as essential for promoting societal and individual well-being, mitigating contemporary issues such as misinformation, polarization, and societal acrimony. Upon reviewing dominant theoretical models of wisdom, here we outline how expression of wisdom’s metacognitive attributes differs across situational contexts, with implications for measurement practices. Next, we posit that the temporal dimension—essential to virtually all theories of wisdom—is paradoxically neglected or misinterpreted in empirical studies. Our findings are supported by a systematic review of literature, demonstrating that many conclusions about developing wisdom or its downstream effects are based on cross-sectional, atemporal data. In response, we advocate for greater focus on the temporal bounds of empirical data in social psychology and offer tutorial-style recommendations for formalizing narrative theories to explicitly specify one’s level of analysis. Beyond wisdom, we provide case examples of temporal neglect across other clinical, social, and cultural domains. Our recommendations thus provide a template for advancing dynamic research practices across diverse fields critical to understanding psychological change.