Being nice pays social norms influence both a country’s politics and economic performance behaviour always matters

Being nice pays social norms influence both a country’s politics and economic performance behaviour always matters

Being around people who are nice is a pleasant experience. But how likely are we to bump into people who are nice? A study conducted across a sample of 31 countries, including India, by Dutch academic Niels Van Doesum and his associates came up with interesting results. Japanese top in showing small acts of kindness, described as social mindfulness. Indians came third from the bottom, followed by Turkey and Indonesia. Social mindfulness is a manifestation of broader awareness of people around. This seemingly insignificant thing feeds into the larger foundation of how societies are structured.

A vast body of research in social sciences has shown that culture and norms go a long way in not just influencing the political structure of nations but also economic performance. In politics, the most striking example is the UK. Over eight centuries after the Magna Carta was drawn up, it still doesn’t have a codified constitution. Norms are the invisible bonds that keep the political structure in place. Social norms, a society’s implicit rules about traits such as honesty and work ethic, have a huge influence on economic development. This is one reason why blindly copying “best practices” produces varying results.

Norms are not permanent. Over time, they do change. Many post-World War II economic success stories have been shaped by changing norms as much as right economic policies. Norms that engender trust among constituents of a society significantly influence both economic policies and general laws. A society with a higher level of trust functions with a light-touch economic regulatory structure and largely avoids repressive laws. In this context, it is pertinent that before Adam Smith came up with The Wealth of Nations that provided insights into the role of self-interest in a market economy, he wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which dwelt on human sympathy.

The social mindfulness study is insightful as it studies behaviour when it’s not influenced by incentives or disincentives. It’s the niceness quotient in people. Who doesn’t want to live in a society with a high niceness quotient? It also comes with the additional benefit of a better economic performance.