At University, I had a class ‘Cross-Cultural Psychology’, where we studied the impact of culture on human well-being. I was particularly intrigued by this class and when given an assignment to choose a country of study, I was quick to pick: Japan. As an avid reader of Murakami’s books, I had a special connection to this country, I had very little knowledge about. In my column today, I share with you, a case study from my research at university, that brought to light what you can learn about the trends in well-being and health based on geography and culture.
Off the eastern coast of mainland Asia is located the mountainous archipelago of Japan. Due to its location, Japan relies heavily on the ocean and imports food, as its hilly terrain allows for only 20 percent of cultivatable land. A victim of westernisation, Japan is known for adopting the western way of life but at the same time maintaining traditions with utmost reverence. Culture is deeply valued by the Japanese, as evident in the juxtaposition of ancient tradition and modern technology in everyday life (Teasdale, 1999).
Japanese history is characterised by two key points; cultural continuity maintained for more than 10,000 years and the ability to adapt imported technology to traditional culture.
With more than 95 percent of the population being Japanese, (Koreans, Chinese and native Ainu constituting the remaining 5 percent), it is one of the most homogenous nations in the world (Teasdale, 1999). Japanese religion, aesthetics, customs and traditions highlight the importance of the internal problems of man and promote tranquillity of the mind. Mental training rather than an interest in the social life of people is given priority, for example; the Japanese learn to naturally control and suppress their emotions. Harmony is the guiding philosophy for behavioural conduct and the interdependence of all people is promoted by the educational system. The Japanese place utmost importance to their dignity and avoid turning down requests and favours to avoid loss of ‘face’ or high status. In order to prevent miscommunication and loss of face, the Japanese rely heavily on nonverbal communication, as word meanings differ with context. For example, frowning while someone speaks is a sign of disagreement and staring into another person’s eyes is considered disrespectful, especially a senior. In a household and school setting, the elders are treated with respect, always honoured first in a group scenario. Other popular customs include that of gift giving; a meaningful and ritualistic practice and of maintaining relations in business by sending greeting cards.
Cultural psychologists have found a plethora of thinking patterns in different societies. Japan forms a part of the latter pattern which is characterised by family-resemblance-based categorisation of objects, focus on contextual information in visual attention and an emphasis on situational causes in attribution (Fiske, 2012). The Japanese as opposed to the Americans, have never shown interest in speculative thinking and live in the domain of immediate experience. While making causal attributions it was found that the Japanese pay more attention to the external factors surrounding the target and explain causes of an event by referring to peripherally important causes. In a study ( Masuda, Ellsworth, Mesquita, Leu, Tanida, and van dee Veerdonk, 2008) Japanese and North American subjects were asked to judge the emotions of target individuals surrounded by four others, who in some cases showed congruent emotions and in some incongruent. Americans judged the target individual’s emotion as the same in both cases however, the Japanese ratings were intensified when targets were presented with congruent others, highlighting that the Japanese pay more attention to the background figures compared to the Americans. Along with a holistic perspective, social cognition of the Japanese is also affected by the interdependence social orientation—cultures that view the self as interconnected and as encompassing important relationships. A sense of self-uniqueness is created by individual styles of effective adjustment in the interpersonal domain to social contingencies (Fiske, 2012).
Studies into the relationship between culture and intelligence highlighted that intelligence was surprisingly associated with geography, with evidence of an IQ gradient existing from North to South Japan. Data was collected from the national achievement survey conducted by the government with 11-14 year olds (Kura, 2013). It was observed that the southern islands were characterised by lower IQ as a result of warmer climate with less cognitive demand for the last 1500 years (Kura, 2013).
As highlighted previously, dualism as a concept is famous and widely applied in the Japanese context, especially with relation to health. There are three conflicting attitudes about illness that dominate the culture – an elaboration of minor illnesses, extreme fear of serious illness and avoidance of death. The Japanese do not include serious illnesses in their universe and treat minor illnesses as a form of nonverbal communication. When an individual falls sick, the diagnosis is given to the family, who in turn take up the responsibility of taking care of the individual. Illness episodes exist as tests of the strength of human relationships within the family. The ignorance of chronic diseases comes from the fact that the Japanese believe in control over their lives and not in leaving things to fate (Ohnuki-Tierney, 1984). Fatalism is perceived as an excuse to allocate responsibility for what happens in everyday life and therefore the Japanese even indulge in ‘urban magic’ (use of charms, amulets etc) to tamper with reality than wait for fate to decide the results.
Today, Japan can be viewed as a developed country credited for maintaining a balance between the modern and the ancient, which was possible only when it broke away from isolation. It is evident in this case study that trends in the culture, economy and geography of a country that can be extremely influential in shaping individual cognition. Take a moment to think about all the changes that you’ve experienced in your location and how they have contributed to your thinking patterns today.
The author can be contacted on Instagram @sincerelysanah
Sanah Thakur
