Cultural Influences on Psychological Processes

In the past decade, a new interdisciplinary field of research called Cultural Neuroscience has emerged, investigating the unique relationship between culture and the psychological processes in our brain. The most recent findings have shown possible pathways on how cultural norms that we are surrounded by during childhood and the cultural practices observed as adults influence our brain. In this article, we will be exploring those very findings along with the effects that they have on our behaviour. 

(Crestresearch.ac.uk, 2018)

What effects does culture have on our psychological processes? 

Every culture has their own unique set of values that are often ingrained into our identity, which is then reflected through our behaviour. These values not only impact our priorities but also our decision making processes, affecting the way people evaluate and react in their daily lives. For example, growing up in an individualistic culture would cause someone to greatly value their own independence and are more likely to be in pursuit of their own personal goal. In contrast to growing up in a collectivist culture where people tend to be more selfless, choosing to focus on their community/family over their own preferences. 

Why do they affect you the way that they do? 

Humans are social animals, and it is in our nature to be seeking a sense of belonging in a community. When we’re at our most impressionable ages as an adolescent, our culture can instil these values into our identity due to the brain’s plasticity which is the brain's ability to adapt by changing its structure in response to constant engagement with certain behaviours on top of the pressure we feel to conform to these social norms, often leading to a sense of guilt whenever we choose to go against those values, which discourages such behaviour. By constantly being surrounded by these cultural norms, our psychological processes and brain activation become “culturally patterned”, as according to a study reported on the January issue of Psychological Science back in 2008, two groups of subjects from different cultural backgrounds showed different patterns of brain activation while doing the same tasks with the effect being greater the more the individual identified and was in touch with their culture.

Bibliography 

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