Welcome back! We just explored the False Consensus Effect, which explains why we think everyone shares our personal opinions. Today, we’re taking that concept to a global level by looking at Ethnocentrism.
Have you ever traveled to a new country and found yourself thinking, “Why do they do it that way? Our way is so much more logical”? Or perhaps you’ve judged another culture’s food, clothing, or social norms as “weird” or “backward” compared to your own. This is ethnocentrism—the tendency to view the world through the narrow lens of our own cultural background.
What Exactly Is Ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is the cognitive bias where we judge other cultures by the standards and values of our own. It involves the belief that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or culture is superior or “the center of everything.”
Instead of seeing different cultural practices as unique adaptations to history and environment, we see our own culture as the “correct” baseline and everything else as a deviation from the norm.
The “In-Group” vs. “Out-Group” Dynamic
Ethnocentrism is rooted in our evolutionary history. For our ancestors, identifying strongly with their “in-group” and being wary of “out-groups” was a survival mechanism. It fostered cooperation and loyalty within the tribe.
However, in our modern, globalized world, this “us vs. them” mentality can lead to significant misunderstandings. We tend to:
- Minimize Differences in “Them”: We see our own culture as diverse and complex, while viewing other cultures as “all the same.”
- Exaggerate Positive Traits of “Us”: We credit our successes to our superior values and our failures to bad luck, while doing the opposite for other groups.
Real-World Impacts
- Global Business: A company might try to launch a marketing campaign in a different country using the exact same tone and imagery as they do at home, only to find it offensive or confusing to the local population.
- History and Education: We often learn history through a “Eurocentric” or “Americentric” lens, where the story of the world revolves around our own nation’s triumphs and perspectives, often ignoring the rich histories of other civilizations.
- Dining and Etiquette: Simple acts like eating with your hands, using chopsticks, or the volume of conversation in a restaurant are often sites of ethnocentric judgment.
- Technology Design: Many AI systems and software interfaces are built with Western cultural assumptions (like reading left-to-right or specific color symbolism), which can make them less accessible or even biased against users from other cultures.
How to Practice Cultural Humility
Moving past ethnocentrism doesn’t mean you have to stop loving your own culture. It means moving toward Cultural Relativism—the ability to understand a culture on its own terms.
- Ask “Why” Before Judging: When you see a practice that seems “weird,” ask: “What purpose does this serve in their environment or history?” Most traditions have a very logical origin.
- The “Perspective Swap”: Imagine a person from that culture looking at your habits. How would they describe your diet, your work-life balance, or your holiday traditions? They would likely find them just as “strange.”
- Consume Diverse Media: Read books, watch films, and follow creators from cultures different from your own. This helps humanize the “out-group” and reveals the diversity within other societies.
- Travel with Curiosity, Not Comparison: When you visit new places, try to be a “student” rather than a “judge.” Focus on learning their logic rather than measuring it against yours.
The Takeaway
Your culture is a beautiful part of who you are, but it is just one of many ways to be human. By recognizing ethnocentrism, you can turn “weird” into “interesting” and “wrong” into “different,” opening up a much richer and more inclusive view of the world.
