Being Weird: How Culture Shapes The Mind

America is Fat Every time a set of commercials come on, more than likely one of them has to do with weight loss. When scrolling down a website, a weight loss ad will magically appear. When walking through Walmart, a weight loss supplements poster will be at the end of the aisle. Everywhere Americans look there is a weight loss ad. The reason for this is because obesity in America is becoming an epidemic. Health problems in children and adults have been on the rise. It’s hard to deny that western culture isn’t to blame for the growing issue. In his essay, Being Weird: How Culture Shapes the Mind, Ethan Watters explores Henrich and colleagues studies on human behavior and the way in which they vary from place to place. Many generalized beliefs and studies about humans come from America without taking into account other eastern countries whose results don’t fit in the generalization. It’s not only a few countries whose results vary from America’s, majority of countries do! From 2003 to 2007, 96 percent of the subjects in psychological studies were westerners. A huge problem that American culture has to take sole responsibility for is the people being overweight. The United …show more content…
“What’s increasingly clear from these early findings is that genetic factors identified so far make only a small contribution to obesity risk-and that our genes are not our destiny” Many people use the blame game that because their parents are overweight so are they. A way to look at this is through the nature vs, nurture perceptive. It’s undeniable that genes do play a part in weight. DNA gives the body genetic instructors on how to operate which can lead some to be normal and others to be the heavier side. However, based on the rates of obesity in America, nurture has more of an effect. Obesity is more related to the habits of the environment people were raised in. Therefore, the people are to blame for the rising health