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Evolutionary explanations need to account for cultural variation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2011

Steven J. Heine
Steven J. Heine
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. heine@psych.ubc.ca http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~heine/index.html
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Abstract

Cultural variability in self-enhancement is far more pronounced than the authors suggest; the sum of the evidence does not show that East Asians self-enhance in different domains from Westerners. Incorporating this cultural variation suggests a different way of understanding the adaptiveness of self-enhancement: It is adaptive in contexts where positive self-feelings and confidence are valued over relationship harmony, but is maladaptive in contexts where relationship harmony is prioritized.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 26 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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