Nerdy Scientists and Pushy Americans Destroy Myths of Cultural Stereotypes

Polite Canadians and genteel British carefully consider the results, while the French sniff haughtily at the very idea. ...just kidding.

Excerpt: An international group led by Antonio Terracciano and Robert McCrae at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) surveyed more than 40,000 adults from 49 cultures. Participants were questioned about how neurotic, extraverted, open, agreeable, and conscientious typical members of their own culture are. This data was then compared with participants’ assessments of their own personalities and those of other specific people they had observed.
The researchers found that there was no correlation between perceived cultural characteristics and the actual traits rated for real people.
In contrast, previous studies that have shown that some gender stereotypes, such as the idea that women are warmer and men are more assertive, do reflect real trends.
In many cases, cultures had overly harsh views of themselves. “The Swiss believe that they are closed-off to new experiences,” says Antonio Terracciano. “But in fact they are the most open culture to new ideas in art and music.”