Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T07:00:44.819Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Climato-economic habitats support patterns of human needs, stresses, and freedoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2013

Evert Van de Vliert
Evert Van de Vliert*
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Groningen, Netherlands, 9712 TS Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway, N-5015 Bergen, Norwaye.van.de.vliert@rug.nlhttp://www.rug.nl/staff/e.van.de.vliert/index
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines why fundamental freedoms are so unevenly distributed across the earth. Climato-economic theorizing proposes that humans adapt needs, stresses, and choices of goals, means, and outcomes to the livability of their habitat. The evolutionary process at work is one of collectively meeting climatic demands of cold winters or hot summers by using monetary resources. Freedom is expected to be lowest in poor populations threatened by demanding thermal climates, intermediate in populations comforted by undemanding temperate climates irrespective of income per head, and highest in rich populations challenged by demanding thermal climates. This core hypothesis is supported with new survey data across 85 countries and 15 Chinese provinces and with a reinterpretative review of results of prior studies comprising 174 countries and the 50 states in the United States. Empirical support covers freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of expression and participation, freedom from discrimination, and freedom to develop and realize one's human potential. Applying the theory to projections of temperature and income for 104 countries by 2112 forecasts that (a) poor populations in Asia, perhaps except Afghans and Pakistanis, will move up the international ladder of freedom, (b) poor populations in Africa will lose, rather than gain, relative levels of freedom unless climate protection and poverty reduction prevent this from happening, and (c) several rich populations will be challenged to defend current levels of freedom against worsening climato-economic livability.

Keywords

challengesclimatic demandsclimato-economiccollectivismcultural anthropologyexistence needsfundamental freedomsglobal warmingniche constructionthreats
Type
Target Article
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 36 , Issue 5 , October 2013 , pp. 465 - 480
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alderfer, C. P. (1972) Existence, relatedness, and growth: Human needs in organizational settings. Free Press.Google Scholar
Alvesson, M. & Sveningsson, S. (2003) The great disappearing act: Difficulties in doing leadership. Leadership Quarterly 14:359–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (1997) Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.Google Scholar
Baumeister, R. F. (2005) The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baumeister, R. F. (2008) Free will in scientific psychology. Perspectives in Psychological Science 3:14–19.Google Scholar
Berry, J. W. (2011) The ecocultural framework: A stocktaking. In: Fundamental questions in cross-cultural psychology, ed. Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Chasiotis, A. & Breugelmans, S. M., pp. 95–114. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Boyd, R. & Richerson, P. J. (2005) The origin and evolution of culture. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, M. B. (1999) The psychology of prejudice: Ingroup love or outgroup hate? Journal of Social Issues 55:429–44.Google Scholar
Brewer, M. B. & Chen, Y. (2007) Where (who) are collectives in collectivism? Toward conceptual clarification of individualism and collectivism. Psychological Review 114:133–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buss, D. M., ed. (2005) The handbook of evolutionary psychology. Wiley.Google Scholar
Carpenter, S. (2000) Effects of cultural tightness and collectivism on self-concept and causal attributions. Cross-Cultural Research 34:38–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cline, W. R. (2007) Global warming and agriculture: Impact estimates by country. Center for Global Development, Peterson Institute for International Economics.Google Scholar
Cottrell, C. A. & Neuberg, S. L. (2005) Different emotional reactions to different groups: A sociofunctional threat-based approach to “prejudice.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88:770–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donnelly, J. (2006) International human rights, 3rd ed. Westview Press.Google Scholar
Drach-Zahavy, A. & Erez, M. (2002) Challenge versus threat effects on the goal-performance relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 88:667–82.Google Scholar
Dworkin, R. (1978) Taking rights seriously. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D. & Cooper, C. L., eds. (2011) Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice, 2nd ed. CRC Press.Google Scholar
Feldman, D. A. (1975) The history of the relationship between environment and culture in ethnological thought: An overview. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 11:67–81.Google Scholar
Fincher, C. L. & Thornhill, R. (2012) Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 35:61–79.Google Scholar
Fischer, R. & Van de Vliert, E. (2011) Does climate undermine subjective well-being? A 58-nation study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 37:1031–41.Google Scholar
Gelfand, M. J., Bhawuk, D. P. S., Nishii, L. H. & Bechtold, D. J. (2004) Culture and individualism. In: Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies, ed. House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W. & Gupta, V., pp. 437–512. Sage.Google Scholar
Gelfand, M. J., Raver, J. L., Nishii, L., Leslie, L. M., Lun, J., Lim, B. C., Duan, L., Almaliach, A., Ang, S., Arnadottir, J., Aycan, Z., Boehnke, K., Boski, P., Cabecinhas, R., Chan, D., Chhokar, J., D'Amato, A., Ferrer, M., Fischlmayr, I. C., Fischer, R., Fülöp, M., Georgas, J., Kashima, E. S., Kashima, Y., Kim, K., Lempereur, A., Marquez, P., Othman, R., Overlaet, B., Panagiotopoulou, P., Peltzer, K., Perez-Florizno, L. R., Ponomarenko, L., Realo, A., Schei, V., Schmitt, M., Smith, P. B., Soomro, N., Szabo, E., Taveesin, N., Toyama, M., Van de Vliert, E., Vohra, N., Ward, C., & Yamaguchi, S. (2011) Differences between tight and loose cultures: A 33-nation study. Science 332:1100–104.Google Scholar
Georgas, J., Van de Vijver, F. J. R. & Berry, J. W. (2004) The ecocultural framework, ecosocial indices, and psychological variables in cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 35:74–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halevy, N., Weisel, O. & Bornstein, G. (2012) “Ingroup-love” and “outgroup-hate” in repeated interaction between groups. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 25:188–95.Google Scholar
Halman, L., Luijkx, R. & Van Zundert, M., eds. (2005) Atlas of European values. Brill.Google Scholar
Herzberg, F. (1966) Work and the nature of man. World Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Hinkin, T. R. & Schriesheim, C. A. (2008) An examination of “nonleadership”: From laissez-faire leadership to leader reward omission and punishment omission. Journal of Applied Psychology 93:1234–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. 2nd ed. Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Hogg, M. A. (2007) Uncertainty-identity theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 39:69–126.Google Scholar
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W. & Gupta, V., eds. (2004) Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Sage.Google Scholar
Huntington, E. (1945) Mainsprings of civilization. Wiley.Google Scholar
Inglehart, R. & Baker, W. E. (2000) Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review 165:19–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inglehart, R., Basáñez, M., Díez-Medrano, J., Halman, L. & Luijkx, R., eds. (2004) Human beliefs and values: A cross-cultural sourcebook based on the 1999–2002 values surveys. Siglo XXI Editores [also available at www.worldvaluessurvey.org].Google Scholar
Inglehart, R. & Welzel, C. (2005) Modernization, cultural change, and democracy. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2001) Climate change 2001: The scientific basis. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kanger, S. (1985) On realization of human rights. Acta Philosophica Fennica 38:71–78.Google Scholar
Karasek, R. A. (1979) Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly 24:285–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasser, T. & Ryan, R. M. (2001) Be careful what you wish for: Optimal functioning and the relative attainment of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. In: Life goals and well-being: Towards apositive psychology of human striving, ed. Schmuck, P. & Sheldon, K. M., pp. 116–31. Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.Google Scholar
Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Neuberg, S. L. & Schaller, M. (2010) Renovating the pyramid of needs: Contemporary extensions built upon ancient foundations. Perspectives on Psychological Science 5:292–314.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kitayama, S., Conway, L. G., Pietromonaco, P. R., Park, H. & Plaut, V. C. (2010) Ethos of independence across regions in the United States: The production-adoption model of cultural change. American Psychologist 65(6):559–74.Google Scholar
Kitayama, S., Ishii, K., Imada, T., Takemura, K. & Ramaswamy, J. (2006) Voluntary settlement and the spirit of independence: Evidence from Japan's “northern frontier.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 91(3):369–84. DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.91.3.369.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lazarus, R. S. & Folkman, S. (1984) Stress, appraisal and coping. Springer.Google Scholar
LePine, J. A., LePine, M. A. & Jackson, C. L. (2004) Challenge and hindrance stress: Relationships with exhaustion, motivation to learn, and learning performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 89:883–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leung, K. & Bond, M. H. (2004) Social axioms: A model for social beliefs in multicultural perspective. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 36:116–97.Google Scholar
Lynn, R. (1991) The secret of the miracle economy: Different national attitudes to competitiveness and money. Social Affairs Unit.Google Scholar
Marx, K. (1973) Foundations of the critique of political economy. Vintage Books.Google Scholar
Maslow, A. H. (1943) A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 50(4):370–96.Google Scholar
Milgram, S. (1974) Obedience to authority. Tavistock.Google Scholar
Odling-Smee, J., Laland, K. N. & Feldman, M. W. (2003) Niche construction: The neglected process in evolution. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Ormel, J., Lindenberg, S., Steverink, N. & Vonkorff, M. (1997) Quality of life and social production functions: A framework for understanding health effects. Social Science and Medicine 45:1051–63.Google Scholar
Parker, P. M. (1997) National cultures of the world: A statistical reference. Greenwood Press.Google Scholar
Parker, P. M. (2000) Physioeconomics: The basis for long-run economic growth. MIT Press.Google Scholar
Parsons, K. C. (2003) Human thermal environments: The effects of hot, moderate and cold environments on human health, comfort and performance, 2nd ed. Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Pemstein, D., Meserve, S. A. & Melton, J. (2010) Democratic compromise: A latent variable analysis of ten measures of regime type. Political Analysis 18(4):426–49. DOI: 10.1093/Pan/Mpq020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plotkin, H. (2002) The imagined world made real: Towards a natural science of culture. Penguin.Google Scholar
Rehdanz, K. & Maddison, D. (2005) Climate and happiness. Ecological Economics 52:111–25.Google Scholar
Rentfrow, P. J., Gosling, S. D. & Potter, J. (2008) A theory of the emergence, persistence, and expression of geographic variation in psychological characteristics. Perspectives on Psychological Science 3(5):339–69. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745–6924.2008.00084.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richter, L. & Kruglanski, A. W. (2004) Motivated closed mindedness and the emergence of culture. In: The psychological foundations of culture, ed. Schaller, M. & Crandall, C. S., pp. 101–21. Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2011) A self-determination theory perspective on social, institutional, cultural, and economic supports for autonomy and their importance for well-being. In: Human autonomy in cross-cultural context, ed. Chirkov, V. I., Ryan, R. M., & Sheldon, K. M., pp. 45–64. Springer.Google Scholar
Sachs, J. (2000) Notes on a new sociology of economic development. In: Culture matters: How values shape human progressed. Harrison, L. E. & Huntington, S. P., pp. 29–43. Basic Books.Google Scholar
Schaller, M. & Murray, D. R. (2008) Pathogens, personality, and culture: Disease prevalence predicts worldwide variability in sociosexuality, extraversion, and openness to experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 95:212–21.Google Scholar
Schaller, M. & Murray, D. R. (2011) Infectious disease and the creation of culture. In: Advances in culture and psychology, ed. Gelfand, M. J., Chiu, C. & Hong, Y., pp. 99–151. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Scholander, P. F., Hock, R., Walters, V., Johnson, F. & Irving, L. (1950) Heat regulation in some arctic and tropical mammals and birds. Biological Bulletin 99:237–58.Google Scholar
Schwartz, S. H. (2006) A theory of cultural value orientations: Explication and applications. Comparative Sociology 5:136–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. (1999) Development as freedom. Knopf.Google Scholar
Skinner, N. & Brewer, N. (2002) The dynamics of threat and challenge appraisals prior to stressful achievement events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 83:678–92.Google Scholar
Sommers, P. & Moos, R. H. (1976) The weather and human behavior. In: The human context: Environmental determinants of behavior, ed. Moos, R. H., pp. 73–107. Wiley.Google Scholar
Sorokin, P. A. (1928) Contemporary sociological theories. Harper.Google Scholar
Tavassoli, N. T. (2009) Climate, psychological homeostasis, and individual behaviors across cultures. In: Understanding culture: Theory, research, and application, ed. Wyer, R. S., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y., pp. 211–22. Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Taylor, T. G. (1937) Environment, race, and migration. University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Tetsuro, W. (1971) Climate and culture: A philosophical study. Hokuseido Press.Google Scholar
Thornhill, R., Fincher, C. L. & Aran, D. (2009) Parasites, democratization, and the liberalization of values across contemporary countries. Biological Reviews 84:113–31.Google Scholar
Tomaka, J., Blascovich, J., Kibler, J. & Ernst, J. M. (1997) Cognitive and physiological antecedents of threat and challenge appraisal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 73:63–72.Google Scholar
Triandis, H. C. (1995) Individualism and collectivism. Westview Press.Google Scholar
United Nations Development Programme (2000) Human development report. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
United Nations Development Programme (2002) Human development report. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
United Nations Development Programme (2004) Human development report. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
United Nations Development Programme (2010) Human development report. Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Vandello, J. A. & Cohen, D. (1999) Patterns of individualism and collectivism across the United States. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77(2):279–92. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.77.2.279.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. (2007) Climatoeconomic roots of survival versus self-expression cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 38:156–72.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. (2009) Climate, affluence, and culture. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. (2011a) Bullying the media: Cultural and climato-economic readings of press repression versus press freedom. Applied Psychology: An International Review 60:354–76. DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2010.00439.x.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. (2011b) Climato-economic origins of variation in ingroup favoritism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 42:494–515.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. (2013) Creating cultures between arctics and deserts. In: Advances in culture and psychology: Vol. 3, ed. Gelfand, M. J., Chiu, C. & Hong, Y., pp. 227–82. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E., Einarsen, S. & Nielsen, M. B. (2013a) Are national levels of employee harassment cultural covariations of climato-economic conditions? Work and Stress 27:106–22. DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2013.760901.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E. & Postmes, T. (2012) Climato-economic livability predicts societal collectivism and political autocracy better than parasitic stress does. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 35:94–95.Google Scholar
Van de Vliert, E., Yang, H., Wang, Y. & Ren, X. (2013b) Climato-economic imprints on Chinese collectivism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 44:589–605. DOI: 10.1177/0022022112463605.Google Scholar
Van Vuuren, D. P., Lucas, P. L. & Hilderink, H. (2007) Downscaling drivers of global environmental change: Enabling use of global SRES scenarios at the national and grid levels. Global Environmental Change 17:114–30.Google Scholar
Yamagishi, T. (2011) Micro-macro dynamics of the cultural construction of reality: A niche construction approach to culture. In: Advances in culture and psychology: Vol. 1, ed. Gelfand, M. J., Chiu, C. & Hong, Y., pp. 251–308. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S1

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 176.6 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S2

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 77.8 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S3

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 36.4 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S4

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 515.6 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S5

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 74.2 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert supplementary material

Table S6

Download Van de Vliert supplementary material(File)
File 80.4 KB
Supplementary material: File

Van de Vliert Supplementary Material

Zip

Download Van de Vliert Supplementary Material(File)
File 163.8 KB