How culture influences behaviour
- Carolina Dias
- Jan 23, 2021
- 1 min read
Ever since we are born, we are taught to behave ourselves according to certain social norms. This
unwritten set of rules determines what are acceptable actions, as well as those that should be
avoided.
What we might not be aware of as much is that those norms differ from one part of the world to
another, from one culture to the next. For example, subconsciously we all have a notion of our
personal space, that is, the space around us that we reserve solely for ourselves and people we are
comfortable with. The presence of an unknown or untrusted person in this space would cause a
feeling of discomfort. The size of this bubble, is often determined by our culture, through
interactions and experiences we have throughout our lives. A person from southern europe or south
america is likely to have a relatively small personal space area, when compared to with an individual
from northern europe, where that bubble will be bigger. When two people from these cultures
interact with eachother, unaware of these circumstances, there might be a feeling of uneasiness
hovering in the room, or some might even be percieved as unpolite. This misenterpretation, caused
by an unrespected reaction, or lack there of, to behaviours one considers normal( based on their
culture) can cause a lack of trust and a hard time bonding, harming personal and even business
relationships.
For that reason it is is important to be open minded and remind yourself that culture shapes a how a
person acts. Misunderstandings are likely to arise when dealing with someone from a distinct
cultural background, still, these are easily solvable with communication and some effort to
understand the other side.
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