The Article by Way and Lieberman (2010)
The issues concerning cultural differences have been discussed throughout decades. It is often believed that such factors influencing people’s behaviour as cultural differences and genetic differences are not interconnected.
However, many researchers argue that genetic and cultural differences are interrelated. For instance. Way and Lieberman (2010) claim that genes contribute to the development of cultural differences.
The authors even mention the two genes that play crucial role in this process: the serotonin and opioid. The researchers reveal the results of recent research that confirms assumptions that genetic differences are interconnected with cultural differences.
One of the major claims of the authors is that genetic peculiarities may “interact with ecological and social factors to influence psychocultural differences” (Way & Lieberman, 2010, p. 203). The researchers assert that genetic variations may affect the development cultural [peculiarities of people.
The researchers focus on psychological peculiarities of Western and Asian people. Notably, many researchers focus on such peculiarities as Western self-confidence and Asian collectivism. Way and Lieberman (2010) reveal the particular reason for this characteristic feature. This finding makes it easier to understand peculiarities of people’s behaviours.
Other Opinions
Admittedly, there are still different views on the matter, though researchers tend to admit that genetic peculiarities shape cultural differences. Thus, Hofstede et al. (2010) do not pay a lot of attention to genetic peculiarities.
In fact, the researchers mention that genetic peculiarities do not play any meaningful role in the development of “group boundaries” (Hofstede et al., 2010, p.15). However, it is still worth mentioning that the researchers note that genetic peculiarities should be taken into account.
Laland et al. (2010) also pay attention to the correlation between human genes and cultures. Remarkably, the researchers claim that cultures shape people’s genes. Therefore, the researchers highlight another facet of the problem, claiming that the vector of the correlation between genes and cultures has another direction. The authors review recent research to support their assumptions.
Reference List
Hofstede, G, Hofstede, G.J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Laland, K.N., Odling-Smee, J., & Myles, S. (2010). How culture shaped the human genome: Bringing genetics and the human sciences together. Nature Reviews Genetics, 11, 137-148.
Way, B.M. & Lieberman, M.D. (2010). Is there a genetic contribution to cultural differences? Collectivism, individualism and genetic markers of social sensitivity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 5(2-3), 203-211.