Are Humans Truly Social Beings, or Are We Fundamentally Individualistic?

Let us imagine that I am with my friends and that only I have something to eat.

In this situation, I always hesitate to eat alone without first offering to share my food with them. Even if they insist that I eat by myself, I still can't.

I would feel uncomfortable and unable to enjoy the food. It would feel wrong to eat while others watched me. This kind of mindset is deeply shaped by Eastern culture.

However, in many Western cultures, we see a different perspective.

It is common for people to go to restaurants together and split the bill.

This individualistic culture has developed over a long period of time.

Splitting the restaurant bill is considered reasonable because people live on their own hard-earned money.

Values of independence and personal autonomy have shaped Western culture.

Forget about Western and Eastern societies; we can observe different tendencies even within the same country when we compare urban and rural lives.

In villages, people often live in harmony and help one another. In contrast, city life tends to be more individualistic.

Therefore, does the economy shape whether people become more individualistic or more collective?

Human society was originally communal. If so, has it transformed into an individualistic one?

Humans are social by nature. Ancient societies were built on communal living.

The Survival and well-being of the community were the primary concerns of every individual.

Until humans lived as hunter-gatherers and in agricultural societies, they were social and chose to live by sharing and caring. Later on, as the concept of personal property developed, this social system was gradually violated.

As industrialization progressed, societies became increasingly individualistic.

Industries and trade created job opportunities, and as cities developed, people began moving there in search of better lives.

This shift gradually changed the social setting, as people increasingly chose nuclear families over extended ones.

This means people’s mindset slowly shifted from a ‘We’ orientation to an ‘I’ orientation; a shift usually linked to greater self-reflection, competition, and independence.

However, an excessive focus on the self can also signal isolation, self-centeredness, or heightened defensiveness in relationships.

However, in many societies, collective traditions still exist on a significant scale. For example, if an individual or a family encounters a problem, other members of the community readily come together to help.

Such traditions may have been shaped by various challenging circumstances (e.g. harsh climates) that required mutual support for survival.

In the northern parts of the world, because of the cold climate and limited resources, survival has always been difficult, forcing people to depend on one another by sharing food, working together, and planning as a group.

This way of life has been practised for generations, and these cultures are built on trust, cooperation, and community spirit. Even today, these values still define these societies.

In Norway, there is a tradition called ‘dugnad’ in which people come together on certain occasions to perform voluntary work for the benefit of the community.

Norway also has the social norm of ‘jenteloven’, which has influenced people to think collectively and not place excessive emphasis on individual achievement or self-importance.

The football World Cup fever is in full swing. Norwegian fans seem to be cheering passionately for their team.

This collective spirit may partly stem from jenteloven.

Many leaders with Scandinavian backgrounds seem to carry this mindset deeply within them.

They tend to blend in, avoid drawing too much attention to themselves, and place greater emphasis on the group than on personal recognition.

Comparable traditions to Norwegian ‘Dugnad’ exist in various societies across the world in different forms.

The ‘Guthi’ is an ancient, community-driven institution of the Newar community in Nepal.

Sustained by collective land ownership or voluntary contributions, it maintains important social and cultural functions, such as agricultural cooperatives, funeral services, and the preservation of religious festivals, heritage temples, and traditional water systems.

Traditional Japanese ‘Yui’ or ‘Moya’ systems operate in much the same manner, acting as community-based institutions for mutual labour exchange, agricultural cooperation, and the collective upkeep of local infrastructure.

However, at a fundamental level, that human instinct is self-protective.

In dangerous situations, people naturally prioritize their own survival. Autonomy, self-interest, self-protectiveness, and a sense of personal distinctiveness are widely recognized characteristics of human nature.

Imagine you are with loved ones, friends or colleagues, and suddenly something dangerous happens. What would your immediate response be?

First and foremost, you think about your own safety.

Your immediate instinct is to survive and protect yourself. In moments of danger, self-preservation often becomes the mind’s primary concern.

Only when you feel safe does your mind begin to think about others. You may then feel an urge to help or save those around you.

Based on science, each human carries a unique genome that contributes to a durable sense of self (i.e. “I”), as consciousness, memories, preferences and decision-making processes differ from one individual to another.

Such traits associated with individualistic behaviour have been shaped by natural selection.

Social relationships and shared experiences are crucial for our growth and development. We may agree that no human being reaches adulthood in isolation.

Therefore, we have carried a “we” culture that often exhibits greater empathy, cooperative communication and pro-social behaviour.

Thus, we may conclude that human beings are both individual and collective by nature.

For survival and safety, humans tend to adopt an “I” orientation, whereas for growth and flourishing, they reveal their “We” side.

Happy reading!

This story was originally published in ‘Write Your World’ on Medium