Global Shifts in Climate, Development, and Individualism: Cultural Change across 78 Countries

To test how environmental and socioeconomic factors interact to influence culture, we examined 51 years of data on individualist practices and values across 78 countries. We found that over time, harsh climates led to increased individualistic practices in countries with low socio-economic development. In contrast, climatic stress did not affect countries with high socio-economic development.