Cultural tightness and resilience against environmental shocks in nonindustrial societies

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Tverskoi, Denis; Ember, Carol R.; Gelfand, Michele J.; Jones, Eric C.; Skoggard, Ian; Toutee, Louise; Gavrilets, Sergey
• 署名单位: University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville; University System of Ohio; Ohio State University; Yale University; Stanford University; Stanford University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Health Science Center Houston; University of Texas School Public Health; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-14842
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2403386121
• 发表日期: 2024-12-03
• 关键词: social norms; adaptive capacity; collective action; resource stress; CLIMATE-CHANGE; COOPERATION; EVOLUTION; transmission; coevolution; PUNISHMENT

摘要

With climate change intensifying, building resilience against climate-related shocks is now a global imperative. Historically, many societies have faced natural hazards, with some adapting through specific social and cultural practices. Understanding these responses is key to developing modern sustainability strategies. Here, we address this issue by developing a mathematical model explicitly accounting for various environmental shock dimensions, cooperative activities common in nonindustrial societies, and decision-making based on material factors as well as personal values and social norms. Our results suggest that cultural looseness can be vital for effectively responding to mild, slow-onset shocks, leading to moderate cooperation and minimal cultural change. Conversely, coping with severe shocks requires an intermediate level of cultural tightness, fostering significant cultural transformation and high cooperation. While tight societies struggle with new shocks, they may handle regular, severe, fast- onset shocks better than do loose societies. Our research enhances understanding of environmental impacts on cooperation, cultural tightness, and social resilience, and highlights cultural adaptations useful in addressing current environmental challenges like global warming, floods, tornadoes, and soil degradation.