{"id":69671,"date":"2022-06-15T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=69671"},"modified":"2022-06-29T09:05:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T13:05:19","slug":"environment-and-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/environment-and-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Environment and Behavior: The Undeniable Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What&#8217;s the connection between environment and behavior? Can environment override genetic influences? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no doubt that genes determine much of your personality and behavior. However, external<em> <\/em>influences\u2014including how we\u2019re raised, where we are at a given moment, and what\u2019s happening around us\u2014are even more important in determining how we act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn how environment shapes human behavior, according to Sapolsky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-culture-how-we-re-raised\"><strong>Culture: How We\u2019re Raised<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans, like many other animals, instinctively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/desire-to-fit-in\/\">want to fit in<\/a>. <strong>We want to be part of the in-group, so we obey our culture\u2019s rules, follow its beliefs, and expect others to do the same.<\/strong> Realizing that we\u2019re not matching the people around us can cause serious anxiety\u2014just imagine showing up to a fancy party in jeans and a t-shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, studies show that our most deeply held values aren\u2019t things that we consciously think about following. For example, someone who\u2019s been raised to be honest doesn\u2019t <em>decide <\/em>to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/jordan-peterson-tell-the-truth-rule-8\/\">tell the truth<\/a> or overcome the temptation to lie; that temptation never arises in the first place. <strong>In other words, you\u2019ll reflexively follow whatever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clarifying-your-values\/\">core values<\/a> you were raised with, unless you make an active effort to do otherwise.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Religion: What We Believe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout history, one of the most influential parts of a person\u2019s upbringing has been his or her religion. Sapolsky says that all religions share a few traits in common, which makes them ideal for understanding cultural effects on behavior:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Religions are a powerful in-group versus out-group catalyst.<\/strong> Religious communities can offer strong emotional and material support to their members, but they can be hostile\u2014sometimes violently so\u2014toward people who don\u2019t follow that religion.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Religions teach rules and codes of ethics. <\/strong>These rules often come with promised rewards for following them, and severe punishments (in this life or in the afterlife) for breaking them.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Believers practice rituals: <\/strong>fixed, familiar behaviors that promote feelings of control, comfort, and belonging. Examples include prayer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-meditation-mindfulness\/\">meditation<\/a>, singing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/advantages-of-laughing\/\">and dancing<\/a>, and coming-of-age ceremonies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>coming-of-age ceremonies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Religiou<\/strong>s <strong>Environment and Behavior<\/strong><br><br>Beliefs such as religion influence our behaviors in various ways, based largely on how strongly we hold those beliefs and how emotionally invested we are in them. In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/awaken-the-giant-within\"><em>Awaken the Giant Within<\/em><\/a>, Tony Robbins <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/awaken-the-giant-within\/chapter-4#recognize-the-three-categories-of-beliefs\">breaks down beliefs into three categories<\/a>:<br><br><strong>1. Opinions: <\/strong>the weakest kind of belief, with little emotional investment. For example, preferring tea to coffee is an opinion\u2014someone might state that preference but wouldn\u2019t feel the need to defend it and might even find that opinion changing over time.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>2. Beliefs: <\/strong>much stronger than opinions and based on personal experiences or information from trusted sources. People generally aren\u2019t willing to listen to anything that contradicts a belief; they\u2019ll ignore or deny any such information. However, close friends or trusted authorities on that subject may be able to change those people\u2019s minds over time.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>3. Convictions: <\/strong>the strongest type of belief and central to our understanding of the world, and we shield them with intense emotions. <strong>We\u2019re likely to become angry and combative if anyone\u2014even a close friend\u2014so much as questions one of our convictions.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physical Environment&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sapolsky says <strong>people will instinctively act in ways that match their physical surroundings. <\/strong>For instance, people are more likely to commit crimes when evidence of other crimes is present\u2014they might drop their trash on the ground if there are signs of vandalism nearby. In more general terms, people are more likely to violate social and ethical norms if it seems like others have already done so. However, Sapolsky says that the reverse is also true: People are more likely to behave themselves and follow the rules if the environment is clean and orderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Our physical environments can also affect us biologically.<\/strong> For example, if you see a dangerous animal, your body will activate genes that cause you to produce adrenaline, so you\u2019ll be ready to fight or run away. Conversely, locking eyes with a child or a pet causes you to produce extra oxytocin, producing feelings of love and kinship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Sapolsky mainly discusses the immediate effects of what we can observe around us, but our physical environment affects us in many other, longer-term ways too. For example, certain types of air pollution can cause <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/8637739\/\">changes in behavior, mood, and overall health<\/a>, with effects ranging from irritability to allergies and asthma. Similarly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/lead-poisoning#symptoms\">exposure to heavy metals<\/a> such as lead can cause increased aggression, fatigue, and memory loss.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Environment&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like our physical environment and moral codes can influence how we behave, so too can the people who are around us. For a clear and easy example, imagine how you act around your best friend compared to how you act around your boss\u2014in most cases, your behavior will be wildly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve already discussed the human tendency to divide people into in-groups and out-groups, but we also subdivide our in-groups into ranks\u2014in Sapolsky\u2019s words, we have <em>hierarchies<\/em>. <strong>We tend to feel closer to those who are close in rank to us in those hierarchies.<\/strong> For example, an office worker would likely feel more kinship with his coworkers than with either the company CEO or the janitor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A hierarchy is different from typical \u201cus versus them\u201d dynamics because all members are still part of the same group, and (at least in theory) all work together for the common good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Furthermore, Sapolsky points out that the effects of our social environments go beyond influences from people we personally know.<\/strong> For instance, men tend to become more aggressive and take greater risks when women are present. Also, in situations where helping someone would be inconvenient (but not dangerous), the more people there are present, the less likely anyone is to step forward to help\u2014the so-called \u201cBystander Effect.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In situations where helping would be dangerous, however, people are actually <em>more <\/em>likely to step in if there are witnesses nearby. That might be because of the chance to be recognized as a hero, or perhaps simply because it seems more likely that we\u2019ll have backup if things get out of hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the connection between environment and behavior? Can environment override genetic influences? There&#8217;s no doubt that genes determine much of your personality and behavior. However, external influences\u2014including how we\u2019re raised, where we are at a given moment, and what\u2019s happening around us\u2014are even more important in determining how we act. Keep reading to learn how environment shapes human behavior, according to Sapolsky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":63753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160,24],"tags":[652],"class_list":["post-69671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","category-society","tag-behave","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Environment and Behavior: The Undeniable Connection - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is no doubt that genes determine some of your personality and behavior. However, environment bears a much greater influence. 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