Do 'Tight' Cultures Fare Better In The Pandemic Than 'Loose' Cultures?
That's the question posted by a study in The Lancet Planetary Health. In case you're wondering, the United States is characterized as "loose." And Singapore is "tight."
On Monday, the U.S. reached a heartbreaking 500,000 deaths from COVID-19.
But widespread death from COVID-19 isn't necessarily inevitable.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that some countries have had few cases and fewer deaths per capita. The U.S. has had 152 deaths per 100,000 people, for example, versus .03 in Burundi and .04 in Taiwan.
There are many reasons for these differences among countries, but a study in The Lancet Planetary Health published last month suggests that a key factor may be cultural.
The study looks at "loose" nations — those with relaxed social norms and fewer rules and restrictions — and "tight" nations, those with stricter rules
