75 Examples of the Influence of Culture

John Spacey, updated on September 23, 2023

Culture influences human thinking and behavior in foundational ways such that attitudes, opinions, perceptions, values, way of life and beliefs are all deeply influenced by culture. This begins with language whereby every thought you have is influenced by the collection of concepts you have obtained from culture via language. As humans think with language and visual symbols from culture, human thought is inherently cultural. The following are common examples of how culture influences human behavior and society.

Common sense	Sense of humor
When an apology is expected	Fashion sense
Sense of personal space	Holiday traditions
Saving face	Directness of communication
Religious beliefs and practices	Sense of right and wrong
Greetings such as shaking hands	Tipping or not tipping
Work expectations	Politeness such as when to use please, thank you or excuse me
Symbols of social status	Superstitions such as things that are viewed as unlucky
Expectations for dressing casually or formally by situation	Personal hygiene practices
Dating practices	Wedding traditions
Rites of passage such as coming of age celebrations	Gift giving customs
Funeral customs	Sense of time such as not rushing through a meal
Punctuality such as the idea of being fashionably late in France	Leisure culture such as spending long hours in a cafe
Attitudes towards aging	Respect for seniors
Sense of social hierarchy	Social roles such as grandparenting
Gestures of respect	Perceptions of what deserves respect
Conventions for building and sustaining trust	Sense of pride
Sense of humility	Expressions of gratitude
Sense of individualism or collectivism	Attitudes towards authority
Views of materialism & consumerism	Attitudes towards risk taking
Beauty ideals and perceptions	Sense of personal responsibility
Sense of entitlement	Sense of reciprocity and repaying kindnesses
Conflict avoidance	Approach to conflict resolution
Prioritization of group harmony	Comfort level around social conflict and tension
Hospitality norms	Unwritten rules of conduct
Work ethic	Norms of discipline & self-control
Attitude towards emotion and emotional displays	Cultures that value “being yourself”
Cultures that value ideals of behavior	Meaning of body language
Facial expressions	Meaning of eye contact
Parenting practices	Cultures that require consensus to make decisions
Cultures that value leadership and individual decisions	Outgoing versus socially reserved cultures
Sense of honesty and attitudes towards dishonesty	Polite fictions and white lies
Tactful behaviors vs candor	How friendships are built and sustained
Table manners and dining customs	Meaning attached to food and social dining
Nightlife norms	Expectations for community participation
Family values	Norms of family life
Views of competition	Attitudes towards change
Attitudes towards technology

Cultures can be broadly categorized using concepts such as collectivist vs individualist culture. For example, a collectivist culture values social harmony, conflict avoidance, saving face and consensus decision making. This tends to produce mediocrity and low creativity but also low social conflict and high stability.

A polite fiction is something that is untrue but is adopted as true for practical reasons such as social harmony. For example, smiling not because you're happy but because it is expected.

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