When does culture persist and when does it change? We examine a determinant of extent of
cultural persistence that has been put forth in the evolutionary anthropology literature: the
stability of the environment. A prediction, which is standard in a variety of micro-founded
models, is that valuing tradition and placing greater importance on maintaining the customs
of the previous generation is relatively more beneficial in stable environments. When the environment
is stable, the culture of the previous generation provides valuable information that
is relevant in this generation. We test this hypothesis by measuring the stability of average
temperature across 20-year generations between 500 and 1900. Looking across countries,
ethnic groups, and descendants of immigrants, we find that groups with ancestors who lived
in environments with more stability, place a greater importance in maintaining tradition today.
These populations also exhibit more persistent cultural traits, and traditions that are less likely
to undergo change.
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