The statement that in humans, culture and biology are independent from each other and culture plays no role in how our biology interacts with the environment is incorrect. Modern research strongly supports the view that culture and biology are deeply intertwined and influence each other in significant ways.
Culture and Biology Interact
- Culture and biology have co-evolved and continuously influence each other, shaping human behavior, cognition, development, and physiology. Cultural experiences can affect biological systems such as neuroendocrine functioning and brain development.
- Cultural practices can create new selection pressures on biology. For example, the cultural practice of cattle domestication and dairying led to the genetic evolution of lactase persistence in some human populations.
- Human biology responds to cultural and environmental factors through gene-environment interactions. This means hereditary potential and gene expression are influenced and modulated by the surrounding social and physical environment.
- Social and cultural environments, including experiences of discrimination or stress, can have measurable biological effects, such as impacts on health, aging, and neurobiology.
Conclusion
Culture and biology in humans are not independent; rather they are dynamically and reciprocally related. Culture shapes biology both directly and indirectly by influencing environmental contexts and behaviors, which in turn affect biology. Hence, culture plays a critical role in how our biology interacts with the environment. This understanding is supported by research across anthropology, psychology, and biology, emphasizing an integrated view of nature and nurture in human development and evolution.
