But not sorting coins!

People would rather pick up litter than reach out to an old friend, finds Lara Aknin.

Welcome to Chicago!

Me explaining how this study is like learning Spanish: I thought I said I was embarrassed but people heard “I’m pregnant.” #MPA2026

Are we using the wrong words to anchor our scales? Richard Homenya asks at #MPA2026.

Are we using the wrong words to anchor our scales? Richard Homenya asks at #MPA2026.

What are “pristine” states? Some proposals for the earliest, classical states around the world.

Where do states come from? Leander Heldring from Kellogg asks at MPA Chicago. #MPA2026

Japan might be a psychological outlier in East Asia.

Shige Oishi presenting at MPA: how are cultures in East Asia different, and where do these differences come from? #MPA2026

If you're in Chicago for MPA, join us today for four talks on culture! 3-4:30pm Salon 3. #MPA2026

Can one air purifier clean a whole apartment? One strong air purifier can help clean air in many rooms, even behind a closed door, but it works better when the door is open. More: smartairfilters.com/en/blog/air-...

I thought individualism meant NOT building your identity around relationships. Then why are New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland the highest in the world? Join me at MPA Chicago to learn why! Thursday 3-4:30pm, Salon 3. #MPA2026

The share of Americans with an unfavorable view toward China shot up from 47% to 83% between 2017 and 2023. But now that trend is reversing, down to 71% now. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

To me, that sounds like a fun question for researchers to try to solve! 🤩 In my new article in PNAS Nexus, I lay out a few ways modernization can increase differences and why these ideas are different from some popular theories like Fukuyama's "End of History." academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

But there's enough misfit puzzle pieces to start asking why at least *some* cultural differences are increasing with modernization.

Now, maybe I'm just biased. For one, if these fascinating trends are true, it means I'll still have a job in 20 years. 😅

And it can explain why modernization increased liberal social values in the West, but not in Asia or Africa. Perhaps the West has different seeds—ones rooted in individual freedom.

That can explain why rice-wheat differences grew when China experienced 40 years of insane economic growth.

Here's why. Modernization brings wealth and technology. That gives people choice. People make choices depending on the values and beliefs in their culture. So the effect of money depends on who that money hits (unlike radiation).

But that intuitive model doesn't fit with increasing cultural differences. The seed theory does fit. It's the idea that modernization sometimes acts like water on a seed, increasing cultural differences.

Like radiation, modernization weakens culture. And like radiation, it doesn't matter what you think or believe. Radiation weakens people whether they believe it or not.

I think a lot of people (including me!) have the intuition that modernization works like radiation.

That's where my new paper comes in. I offer an explanation for these strange trends. I call it the "seed theory."

That's weird because people in China are leaving farming.

But then check out 2020. Rice-wheat differences are now stronger and significant.

The rice theory would predict higher collectivism in rice-farming areas, but check it out. Thirty years ago, it's not significant!

My team created a collectivism index uses data on living alone, living with extended family, divorce rates, and other factors. @natureportfolio.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Census data to the rescue! Researchers have used Census data to estimate collectivism, and we can get data in China going back to the 1980s. Perfect!

So how are rice-wheat cultural differences changing as China modernizes?