Asia – Success Across Cultures

Eye contact is a fundamental aspect of human communication, serving as a powerful non-verbal cue conveying various emotions and intentions.

However, the interpretation and significance of eye contact can vary dramatically across cultures, often leading to misunderstandings in cross-cultural interactions.

Understanding these differences is crucial for effective communication in global business.

Western Cultures: Direct Eye Contact = Confidence

In many Western cultures, particularly in the United States and Europe, direct eye contact is often seen as a sign of confidence, sincerity, and attentiveness.

People who make steady eye contact during conversations are typically perceived as trustworthy and engaged.

In business settings, maintaining eye contact is crucial during negotiations and presentations, as it demonstrates interest and credibility.

But this doesn’t end at business: direct eye contact is also valued in social interactions.

It is considered polite and respectful, indicating that you are actively listening and interested in the other person’s words.

However, balance is necessary, as excessive staring can be perceived as confrontational or aggressive.

East Asian Cultures: Indirect Eye Contact = Respect

In contrast, many East Asian cultures, including Japan, China, and Korea, view direct eye contact differently.

Here, indirect eye contact is often a sign of respect and deference, particularly towards elders or those in positions of authority.

Avoiding prolonged eye contact is seen as a way to show humility and politeness.

For instance, in Japan, a child might lower their gaze when speaking to a teacher or elder as a mark of respect.

Similarly, employees may avoid direct eye contact with their superiors during meetings to demonstrate deference.

Misinterpreting this cultural norm can lead Westerners to mistakenly perceive East Asians as being evasive or untrustworthy, when they are simply adhering to cultural standards of respect.

Studies Confirm These Differences

Research has shown that faces making eye contact are quickly detected and preferentially processed, a phenomenon known as the eye contact effect.

This sensitivity to eye contact is believed to be innate and universal among humans.

However, cultural norms influence eye contact behaviors, with Japanese individuals typically making less eye contact than those from Western European or North American cultures.

This study explored how cultural differences affect eye contact behaviors by examining autonomic responses (heart rate), looking time, and evaluative ratings of eye contact with a person displaying a neutral expression.

Participants from Western European (Finnish) and East Asian (Japanese) cultures were compared.

The findings revealed that eye contact elicited stronger heart rate deceleration (indicative of attentional orienting), shorter looking times, and higher arousal ratings in both cultures compared to averted gaze.

However, cultural differences were evident in how participants interpreted faces making eye contact.

Japanese participants rated faces as angrier, less approachable, and more unpleasant compared to Finnish participants.

These results suggest that cultural norms and display rules influence how eye contact is perceived, rather than culture directly affecting physiological responses to eye contact.

We’ll talk more about culture’s influence on eye contact norms next week.

We’ve talked about geography and language and their relationship with culture over the past couple weeks.

Family is the third universal in our ten-part series.

Whether you’re from a culture which is centered around a nuclear family or one that embraces an extended family model, the family unit is an integral part of your cultural and your personal development.

This is why family dynamics are a common focus of cultural studies. From family member roles to labor division to rites of passage, culture begins at home and the family is its core.

Collectivist vs. Individualist

While there are obviously many family structures across cultures, let’s focus this discussion on two main distinctions: collectivist and individualist cultures.

One of the main ways in which these groups differ is in their family dynamics. Individuality is obviously stressed in individualist cultures, while interdependence and conformity are valued by collectivist cultures. And these dynamics are prevail within the family.

As Marcia Carteret, M. Ed., writes in “Cultural Differences in Family Dynamics”:

“Individualistic cultures stress self-reliance, decision-making based on individual needs, and the right to a private life. In collectivist cultures absolute loyalty is expected to one’s immediate and extended family/tribe.”

In other words, collectivist cultures put the needs of the family/group (the collective) before individual needs.

Nuclear vs. Extended

In examining the prevalence of nuclear and extended families in developing and developed countries, the un.org writes:

“The presence of two adult members per household in developed countries is an indication of the predominance of the nuclear type of family; on the other hand, the presence of more than two or three adult members in a household in developing countries indicates prevalence of an extended type of family or of a nuclear family with adult children present.”

The nuclear family is composed of parents and their children. This model is commonly followed by Western cultures and developed countries. Children are often raised to become independent and move out on their own when they reach adulthood.

The extended family model is often found in collectivist cultures and developing countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as in Hispanic and American Indian cultures. In this model, the extended family – including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – are an intimate part of the familial network.

Whereas individualist cultures prize privacy and independence, with the nuclear family living separately from the extended family, collectivist cultures often share the household across generations. In a multi-generational household, you might find three or more generations cohabitating. Grandparents might live with their adult children and grandchildren.

In some of these households, the eldest son brings his new wife to live with his parents at home. The daughter-in-law submits to the mother-in-law.

“Relatives” unrelated by blood may even play a significant role in the family, with tribal leaders being consultive beings in American Indian families and godparents serving this role in Hispanic families.

Next week, we’ll talk more extensively about familial roles and rites of passage across cultures.

Tag: Asia

10 Cultural Universals: The Role of Family in Culture