Talking Tradition
On the Historical Roots of Interstate Conflicts: Evidence From Folklore Motifs
Marcello D'Amato & Francesco Flaviano Russo
Journal of Conflict Resolution, forthcoming
Abstract:
We show empirically that interstate conflicts are less likely among countries that share more of their oral tradition. Popular tales and narratives are related to expectations and beliefs about other parties' behavior, and larger cultural similarities reduce negotiation failures between states. To validate this interpretation, we show that countries with more oral tradition in common are more likely to form military alliances, more likely to participate in the same international organizations, more likely to vote similarly in the UN general assembly, more likely to trade with each other and, in case a conflicts breaks out, more likely to terminate it with a negotiation.
Soil, Soul, and Solvency: How Glacial Endowments Shaped Religion, Finance, and Social Capital in America
Mukun Niu
University of Illinois Working Paper, March 2026
Abstract:
Why are some societies more devout than others, and how do historical environments shape modern financial culture? While classic secularization theories predicted a linear decline of religion with industrialization, the global landscape of belief is far more complex (Iyer, 2016). This paper argues that both secularization and financial development in the United States can be traced to deep geological time. I propose a novel causal chain: Pleistocene glaciation left exceptionally fertile soil, which reduced economic risk and income volatility faced by agrarian communities. This environmental stability weakened the demand for all forms of insurance-both religious (social insurance) and financial (debt as consumption smoothing)-leading to lower religious participation and reduced mortgage debt. Using historical glacial coverage as an instrument for agricultural land quality, I find large parallel effects: a 10 percentage point increase in prime farmland density decreases the 1890 religious participation rate by 3.4 percentage points and the mortgage rate by 3.7 percentage points. These effects persist for over a century, shaping modern social capital and economic prosperity. This demonstrates that deep environmental endowments can shape the foundations of a society's cultural, religious, and financial life through a unified risk-management framework.
Relational Compartmentalization: How Culture Keeps Our Social Worlds Apart
Jinli Wu et al.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, forthcoming
Abstract:
Segregation of social networks has been studied primarily at the macro level in disciplines such as sociology. The present research introduces the concept of relational compartmentalization to examine this phenomenon at the level of individual behavior through a cultural-psychological lens. Across two studies, we investigated relational compartmentalization using a mixed-methods approach and complementary measures: a novel behavioral paradigm and egocentric social network analysis. We found evidence that, compared to Euro-Americans, Chinese and Asian American participants exhibited a greater tendency to compartmentalize their social networks, mediated by self-consistency and relational mobility, but not by contextualism. In cultural contexts characterized by greater self-concept variability and lower relational fluidity, individuals are more likely to organize their social networks into discrete, self-contained, non-overlapping groups. These findings advance the understanding of cultural models of social networks, highlighting the roles of culturally salient psychological and socioecological characteristics in shaping networking behavior.
Traditionalist, Collectivist, and Marketist: Value Orientations and Pro-Solidarity Inclinations in Contemporary China
Anning Hu
Sociological Forum, forthcoming
Abstract:
How can individuals with differing beliefs, values, and ways of thinking live together within a society experiencing rapid and comprehensive social transitions? This paper addresses and contextualizes this enduring sociological question by examining the complex correlations between value orientations and pro-solidarity inclinations in contemporary China. Multivariate analyses of the Cultural Change and Value Survey 2024 reveal that: (1) the marketist orientation, which underscores the principles of the market, receives the strongest support among Chinese citizens, who also exhibit a tendency to endorse the notion of fostering solidarity through instrumental exchange; (2) compared to traditionalist and collectivist orientations, the marketist orientation reveals a significantly stronger correlation with pro-solidarity inclinations that emphasize instrumental exchange, shared compassionate experiences, and generalized understanding and respect of others; (3) individuals who have a more balanced adherence to multiple value orientations -- an indication of potential value rivalries -- tend to display weaker pro-solidarity inclinations; and (4) a positive synergistic relationship is detected between traditionalist and collectivist value orientations, as well as between marketist and collectivist value orientations.
Brideprice or Dowry? How the North-West Coast Opens the Way to a Social and Ecological Explanation of the Origin of Dowry
Rayan Dequin & Maxence Claude
Human Nature, March 2026, Pages 40-57
Abstract:
The origins and function of dowry have been debated since the 1970s, leading to two hypotheses: the compensatory hypothesis and the inheritance hypothesis. In this article, we suggest to redefine dowry on the basis of both a legal and an economic characterization. We show, using Testart et al. (2002) and ethnographic data on hunter-gatherer societies of the Northwest Coast, that these societies can be considered to have practiced dowry. The inclusion of these societies in the group of dowry societies has important consequences for the analysis of the origin and function of this transaction. We propose here an economic and ecological model of its origin and function which shows that this marriage transaction is a double compensatory gift (gift of a daughter, gift of wealth) aimed at encouraging families to integrate an unproductive member into the domestic unit (whether this unproductivity is real or perceived). Dowry thus appears in societies where the articulation of the gender division of labor and particular ecological or economic conditions cause women's contribution to the production of raw food goods to fall below a minimum threshold relative to men's economic strategies, adding new elements to the compensatory hypothesis.
Shaped by Confucius: The Cultural Origin of Corporate Behavior
Zhihui Gu, Hao Liang & Hanyu Zhang
Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming
Abstract:
We examine how Confucian culture operates as an informal institution by fostering relational contracts that substitute for formal legal frameworks in shaping corporate behavior. Using data on historical Confucian academies near firms' headquarters in China, we find that greater cultural exposure is associated with higher investment in stakeholder relationships -- measured by social contribution, stakeholder protection, courtesy expenses, patenting, and trade credit. These effects persist after controlling for human capital and alternative cultural influences, and weaken in regions with stronger formal institutions. Our findings highlight the enduring role of culture in supporting trust-based governance when formal contracting is limited.
The Ecological Origins of Collectivism and Individualism
Marco Colnaghi et al.
Psychological Review, forthcoming
Abstract:
Interdependent subsistence styles, such as rice farming, are thought to underlie the evolution of collectivistic cultures, which emphasize collective welfare over individual gains. Rice farming can produce mutual dependence within communities but also create conflicting interests, as people cooperate to provide valuable public goods. However, current theories of the origins of collectivism fail to address the interplay between mutual dependence and conflict. As a consequence of these limitations, the evolutionary dynamics of collectivism and its association with cooperation are still unclear. We advance a theoretical model to study the evolution of cultural traits that enhance people's valuations of collective welfare, one of the key features of collectivistic cultures. Our model investigates the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation and cultural evolution in ecologies with distinct interdependence structures. We find evidence that higher degrees of mutual dependence facilitate the evolution and persistence of collectivism. However, the degree of conflicting interests also plays a crucial role in driving the diffusion and maintenance of collectivistic norms. In particular, the selective advantage of collectivism is strongest when people experience some degree of conflict of interests, an effect that is magnified by heightened mutual dependence. These results clarify how variation in interdependence could underlie the ecological origins of collectivism, lending support to and expanding the scope of current theories of the cultural evolution of cooperation. More broadly, the framework presented here elucidates how fitness interdependence can be influenced by different ecological factors, and, in turn, influence the evolution of social behaviors.
Bridging or Broadening Gaps? AI-Assisted Professional Writing among Native and Non-Native English Writers
Inyoung Shin, Hyesun Choung & Mina Choi
Computers in Human Behavior, April 2026
Abstract:
This study examines how AI influences existing differences in professional writing between native and non-native English writers (NEWs and NNEWs) in the United States, reflecting individuals' task-related proficiency and language-based social positioning. We compare how these two groups integrate AI-generated content into their writing and include writing self-efficacy as a moderator to examine whether perceived task proficiency shapes the differences in AI use between the two groups. We also test an underlying social-psychological mechanism by examining the mediating role of perceived superiority: the extent to which participants judged the AI-generated text as better than their own writing. In an online experiment, 327 NEWs and NNEWs were recruited to write a job application cover letter for a hypothetical scenario. Participants were randomly assigned to receive AI-generated content written at either a simple or advanced lexical level and were asked to revise their letter as they chose, potentially incorporating the AI-generated content. Using natural language processing techniques, we measured the extent to which participants integrated AI-generated content. Findings show that NNEWs favored simpler content, while NEWs tended to incorporate advanced content. This difference was pronounced among those with lower writing self-efficacy. However, the perceived superiority of AI-generated text did not explain this pattern. These findings show that while AI can support lower-skilled groups in specific tasks, sociolinguistic gaps still remain even with AI-assistance. We conclude by calling for AI training frameworks that scaffold learning to address both proficiency gaps and social constraints.