Commentary: “Large-scale psychological differences within China explained by rice vs. wheat agriculture”

Frontiers in Psychology

Shihu Hu¹ 

关键词: China;    rice vs. wheat;    rice vs. non-rice;    individualism;    collectivism;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00489

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Talhelm et al. (2014) reported an interesting investigation on the psychological differences between Southern and Northern Han Chinese populations in China. By interviewing 1162 undergraduate students from different regions, the authors showed that the Chinese from the southern “rice-growing area” are more holistic-thinking and interdependent, while the Chinese from the northern “wheat-growing area” are more analytic-thinking and independent. These psychological differences can be explained by the differences between rice and wheat farming, not the modernization theory. The authors suggested that this “rice vs. wheat” theory can partially explain the different thought styles between Eastern and Western people, and the persistent interdependence of wealthy East Asia.

【 授权许可】

CC BY