AI has taken over knowledge, but luckily for us, wisdom will always be AI-resistant. Wisdom, the ability to apply insight learned from experience, is becoming increasingly important as the world continues to shift in unforeseen ways.
Through studying cultures, we harness earth’s most vital resource: cultural wisdom. In this way, we utilize the insight of all 8.3 billion of us, rather than relying on solely our own experiences. This article will demonstrate exactly why we need to study cultures in order to become wise, and how we may begin taking advantage of our own cultural wisdom.
Table of Contents
The Need to Study Cultures
A day that was supposed to be full of celebration and pride was instead characterized by disgust and disheartenment. No, nothing tragic happened, but as I stood in my cap and gown on the main lawn of Carroll University, I could not help but look around and realize that all 756 of my peers held the same exact piece of paper.
Years later, I recognized this same uneasy feeling in the faces of some of my brightest students (shout out to my Learning and Behavior class if you’re reading this). They had just completed their midterm papers, and while the class average was abnormally high, it quickly became evident that this was because a number of the worst students had used AI to write their essays. Because of this, many honest and hard-working students felt frustrated by the fact that their grades were the same as the others —the same as the cheaters.
It’s a common problem in academia. We aren’t teaching others to become more mentally developed, nor are we even teaching them knowledge. Simply put, we are teaching them to become good at getting good grades, nothing more.
So, if we can no longer rely on the school system to become smarter, let alone wiser, what must we do?
Later in the semester I knew that I had to make amends to my best (and admittedly my favorite) students. And so their next essay asked them to study cultures and to pick a culture from around the world. Then, using that culture’s framework, they were to describe how that culture would teach our next class, using specific examples from our previous classes.
In the end, I received three types of papers:
1) ChatGPT papers that detailed how different cultures taught their children.
2) ChatGPT papers that spoke on how one specific culture teaches school (at least there was more effort in this AI prompt).
3) Papers that used the author’s experience in my class to speak on how a specific culture would teach next week’s class.
Which do you think you received the highest grades?
This is a direct forecast of what’s to come. As AI becomes more and more prevalent, knowledge-based tasks are going to become monopolized by AI. This has tremendously bearish implications for our future job market, schooling, and even the development of human intelligence.
The one way to circumnavigate this is to focus on wisdom —to use what AI will never be able to: human experience. By using our human experience and the experiences of others (i.e., other cultures), we ensure that we will not be left in the dust and that our skills will remain valuable, even in a world in which knowledge is dominated by AI.
Speaking of studying cultures, if you are interested in the cultural variances talked about in my Learning and Behavior class, you might like the graph below:
The Framework: Studying Cultures to Become Wiser
By studying cultures, we build a framework of practical skills that, in today’s time, can hardly be replicated by school. For instance, we improve our communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence -recently cited as much more important than even IQ.
In addition to setting this invaluable framework, studying cultures transforms us. It increases our adaptability. It opens us up to new experiences. It gives us new perspectives to learn.
Needless to say, all of this makes us wiser. The rest of this article will show you exactly how studying cultures builds our framework and transforms us on our journey towards wisdom.
The Skill Framework (1/2)
1. Studying Cultures for Better Communication
If you’ve ever interviewed for a job, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself googling tips on how to have a successful interview. You may have been told to show a warm smile, give a hearty handshake, and make strong eye contact. These methods could work —I’d even recommend them myself.
But the chance that this strategy ends in a catastrophic disaster is there. In fact, in the near future, it may even be the likelier of the two options.
In short, the world is globalizing at an unprecedented rate. Functionally speaking, the workforce (and our everyday lives) see us interacting with an increasingly diverse crowd. Knowing how to speak to that crowd (or a potential boss) from another culture may very well be the difference between your future success and you being left behind with the “traditional” communicators.
Let’s take a look at an example below:
At the time of writing, the USA and China lay claim to the world’s two biggest economies. Naturally, a lot of business is conducted between the nations. But those actually conducting the business aren’t nations; they are people —people with distinct cultural differences.
The famed cross-cultural psychologist Geert Hofstede introduced the first empirical model of cultural dimensions, allowing us to effectively compare countries across six distinctive traits. As may be seen in the graph below, American values (gray) differ from Chinese values (orange), particularly in Power Distance and Indulgence.
Functionally speaking, this indicates that a Chinese business person is likely to give greater value to the corporate ladder (Power Distance); decisions will come in a formal, top-down manner. In cultures with less power distance, decisions may be more collaborative with colleagues maintaining a more informal relationship. Likewise, Indulgent cultures may orient towards a greater work-life balance and prioritize fulfillment over success.
Through studying cultures, we are better able to understand our differences, and therefore find ourselves in a position to communicate with people from all over the globe.
2. Studying Cultures for Greater Empathy
Unsurprisingly, and all altruism aside, more empathetic individuals have been shown to receive more favors from their peers, colleagues, family, and friends. More importantly, empathy is a necessary component to wisdom. In short, it pays to be empathetic. Studying cultures increases one’s capacity for empathy in three notable ways:
A) Studying Cultures Increases Awareness of Different Realities
As a lifelong privileged and pampered westerner, I admit that I am not in the best position to speak on this subject. However, I do believe that Ralph Waldo Emerson was on to something when he said “People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character”. Here, Emerson speaks on the individual, yet cultures are no different —their priorities confess their values.
One does not need to necessarily study cultures in order to note a shift in priorities. For example, how many of us become hangry? I would argue that it is fair to say that our priorities, and consequently our behaviors, shift when we are experiencing hangriness.
Other cultures may heavily prioritize religion, relationships, or financial wealth. The behaviors of those cultures follow accordingly. Different realities necessitate different actions.
B) Studying Cultures Reduces Stereotypes and Prejudice
Stereotypes exist as a mechanism for human beings to fill in information that is not presently known to them. Through studying cultures we obtain a more nuanced understanding of how and why other people act the way they do, leaving little room for stereotypes and prejudice to emerge. This, in turn, fosters more authentic interactions, allowing us to make better judgments on people and the world in which we inhabit.
C) Studying Cultures Promotes Self-Reflection
Regarding many themes of life, it is often necessary to master one aspect to open up the possibility of understanding another. We must listen in order to communicate effectively. We must master reading in order to enjoy poetry. And we must be fit enough to run in order to train other skills in a sport.
Studying cultures is no different. If we wish to fully understand ourselves, we must understand the role that culture plays.
3. Studying Cultures for Advanced Emotional Intelligence
A growing number of businesses are requiring personality tests as part of the hiring process. Scary, right? —especially considering the fact that these tests are often empirically arbitrary and invalid.
Perhaps these businesses idealize a world in which our personalities are fully transparent. If that’s the case, I can see where they are coming from. Yet, this will never happen, given the inherent individuality of personality.
However, we do already have access to the next best thing: cultural intelligence (that is, if we use it right). To be clear, culture should never be used to predict the future. That’s how stereotypes come about, harmful to the labeller just as much as the receiver. Rather, we may use culture to explain and understand past behavior.
Through studying cultures, we build self-awareness, conflict resolution, flexibility, and a litany of other social skills that aid in bolstering our emotional intelligence. This emotional intelligence is firmly pointed to by researchers as a predictor of both fulfillment and success in life.
A Meta Analysis done by Quílez-Robres et al. (2023) demonstrates a moderate to high interaction between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Success (p < .01, r ≥ .35).
The Skills Framework Summary
In a rapidly globalizing world, studying cultures is no longer an optional skill; it’s an essential part of effective communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Understanding diverse cultural perspectives helps us navigate complex social dynamics, avoid misunderstandings, and connect more authentically with others. Whether in professional settings or personal interactions, cultural insight empowers us to communicate with respect, relate with empathy, and manage emotions skillfully. As cultural awareness becomes central to both personal growth and professional success, those who commit to it are likely to find themselves better equipped to thrive in our increasingly interconnected world and develop the wisdom which they are searching for.
The Wisdom Framework (2/2)
The first time that I learned German, I strode into a Bäckerei with my shoulders back and chin up, exuding (and truly feeling) an embarrassing amount of confidence. I had memorized upwards of 6,000 words and every grammatical structure that I could get my hands on. I had even begun watching my Netflix shows in German without the captions. Yet, when the lovely lady behind the desk asked me if I wanted a bag, the words stumbled to come out of my mouth and I could hardly formulate a “yes please” before we switched to English.
I tucked my tail and practically ran out of the bakery, nearly forgetting my brötchen in the process. My mistake? Although I had spent countless hours studying, I had neglected to actually speak the language.
Knowledge relates to wisdom in a similar way. The skills framework provides us with the instructions to 1) communicate effectively, 2) practice empathy, and 3) grow your emotional intelligence. There is a wide array of resources to study these skills, however, if you never practice them, you’ll find yourself stumbling over words that should be nearly fluent.
Practice them, however, and you’ll find yourself primed to wisen.
1. Studying Cultures Fights Diminishing Returns on Wisdom
“People will find answers in whatever their occupation, as long as they are looking.”
The key to wisdom is growth through experience. The farmer may be as wise as the traveler; the traveler as wise the farmer. Each of you reading this has the same capacity for wisdom. Yet, as we move through our daily lives, there are less and less novel experiences. It may be argued that their scarcity then drives their value, but that would be neglecting the fact that experiences are not necessarily always personal.
Knowledge is often an accumulation of ideas or facts that are the result of someone else’s experiences. Provided you take them as such, these facts and ideas will remain just knowledge, but if you are able to tap directly into the source: the experiences, you may utilize them to forge your own wisdom.
Studying cultures works much in the same way. Yes, it is interesting to learn about new religions, places, and foods. But when we observe a new religion, explore a new place, and taste new foods, we are doing so much more than simply learning. We are experiencing.
As we age, the percent of novel life experiences available to us becomes increasingly limited. One way to mitigate this is through studying cultures and learning from the experiences of others.
Now imagine if you could harness the experiences of another. In essence, imagine if you could have double the experiences. Do you imagine that you would become more knowledgeable about the world, or more wise? My money’s on the latter.
Studying cultures allows us to begin to harness the experiences of those around us (and those quite literally not around us). When we only count our own experiences, our days remain the same and the returns begin to diminish. When we study other cultures we allow ourselves constant room to grow as we learn about new ways of life.
While we may never master another culture, each new culture that we explore opens up doors for us to grow and gather more experiences, which we then may bank as opportunities for wisdom.
2. Studying Cultures Opens Up New Perspectives
Each new door is a new perspective. It may or may not be taken, but by studying cultures we create the opportunity.
3. Studying Cultures increases your openness to new experiences and overall adaptedness.
Many researchers point to the personality trait “openness to new experience” to be widely implicated with the pursuit and attainment of wisdom. Furthermore, regardless of whether or not Openness to New Experience (ONE) is a genetic or taught trait, both ONE and adaptedness are definitively traits that may be practiced and improved upon. Encouragingly, studying cultures is a key component in building one’s adaptedness and ONE, meaning that studying cultures directly leads to wisdom —and in a big way.
The Wisdom Framework Summary
To become wise, you must experience. Through studying cultures, we transcend our personal experience; we incorporate the experiences of all kinds of peoples. This allows for new perspectives, which only further increases the opportunity for us to experience something new —the raw material of wisdom.
How Studying Cultures Makes You Wiser
If I were to write an article on how studying cultures makes you wiser, it would be awfully short. In fact, I would probably just regurgitate the same phrase in 987 different ways: “experience life”.
That being said, it is well worth acknowledging the role that learning plays in wisdom. Whereas we may not necessarily become wise from learning alone, learning points us in the right direction. It guides us to the doors of opportunity. Therefore, lifelong learning is a key attribute to wisdom, as one cannot become wise with a shortage of doors.
In particular, be sure to learn through:
Conversations: humans are expert relaters of experiences. Be sure to take advantage of it.
Books: what are books but a conversation with the author?
Media: experiences are related and evolve faster than ever before through the media. This allows for constant consumption of new experiences, but be sure to not get too caught up on the entertainment side of things. Get inspired and then act.
We have a funny tendency to pursue activities that strengthen our already formed beliefs.
Instead, intentionally pursue activities that change your perspective on life.
Conclusion
As AI dominates knowledge-based tasks, wisdom has become our most valuable, uniquely human trait. By studying cultures, we move beyond mere knowledge and engage with the shared experiences, insights, and values that shape human lives around the world. Each culture we encounter opens doors to new perspectives, challenges us to reflect on our own values, and builds the adaptability needed to navigate an ever-changing world. This journey toward wisdom is less about learning facts and more about experiencing life fully. Through cultural understanding, we don’t just become more knowledgeable; we develop qualities that open new opportunities for wisdom —qualities that no AI can replace.
