Through careful studies conducted in the US, UK and East Asia, researchers came to the surprising conclusion that in many aspects, people from the "East" and people from the "West" think in diametrically opposite ways. Scientists determined that cultural differences trump theories that the brain's thought processes operate in much the same manner for all people. As cultures and economies become more interwoven, it is increasingly important to understand these differences and how they might affect communication and negotiations in both social and business settings.
Part I
The research in this program focuses on how the East and West view the world. Westerners tend to focus on objects in a scene independently of each other. Easterners view the whole and the interaction between objects. In each instance, different parts of the brain are activated and different conclusions drawn. This effects everyday life such as:
Language - "More tea?" (West/object) versus "Drink more?" (East/interaction with object)
Character - "He is mean" (West/individual) versus "He had a bad day"( East/effect of others)
Part II
Perspective of self and others is explored. The West is more ego-centric and individualistic, seeing from the observers point of view. The East tends to be retrospective, considering what others think. For example, in the West you would give lots of drink choices, allowing individual choice. In the East it is polite to consider the persons favorite drink and offer that. This perspective leads the West to value the self whereas the East places importance on the group.
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