Episode 31: Culture of Favours
A person holds the door open. You're thankful. What a nice gesture, a kind favour! For some, this gesture would merit a simple 'thank you' as you go on your way. But for others, this might be an opportunity to stand and talk with this friendly door opener and learn more about them.
Welcome to a cultural tour of how favours are perceived and reciprocated across the globe. We'll unpack both of our opposing perspectives of favours within an Eastern and Western context, highlighting how favours are deeply constructed by the social and cultural contracts we unconsciously have learned.
Hear about the relational focus in high-context cultures like China, where doing favors can build strong social bonds, compared to the more task-oriented, low-context approach common in the Western world. This episode offers valuable insights into how understanding these cultural differences can lead to stronger relationships and better community integration. Whether you're new to Canada or you really like favours done for you, enjoy this meaningful conversation that might just change how you see everyday acts of kindness.
Episode Sources
Canadian Multiculturalism Day: Celebrating multiculturalism in Canada - Government of Canada
Communicating in High and Low Context Cultures - LinkedIn
Favours - Cambridge University Press
How can you tell if someone isn’t really into doing you a favour? - Business Insider
Shared cross-cultural principles underlie human prosocial behaviour at the smallest scale - Scientific Reports
The Human Being in Disasters: A Research Perspective - The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Tracking the nature and trajectory of social support in Facebook mutual aid groups during the COVID-19 pandemic - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Gifts, Favors, and Banquets: The Art of Social Relationships in China - Mayfair Mei-Hui Yang
The Effect of Social Status and Size of Imposition on the Gratitude Strategies of Persian and English Speakers - Journal of Language and Teaching
Bomboniera and Favour the Unexpected Cultural Comparison - ChartaRe
Quiz Sources
Canadian Culture - Cultural Atlas
Gen Z is far more likely to ignore this office taboo than other generations - New York Post