Self-construal: a cultural framework for brain function

• Self-construals mediate cultural group differences in brain activity.
• Priming interdependent or independent self-construals modulates brain activity.
• Self-construals interact with genes to shape brain activity.
• Self-construals provide a cultural framework for brain function.

Humans have created complex cultures that provide frameworks for our lives, guiding our behavior and thoughts. Recent brain imaging studies have uncovered cultural influences on brain activity in multiple tasks. We review recent cultural neuroscience findings that illustrate that (a) self-construal, a cultural trait that differentiates between East Asian and Western societies, mediates group differences in brain activity between East Asians and Westerners; and (b) priming interdependent/independent self-construals modulates brain activity engaged in sensory/motor and cognitive/affective processes. These findings provide new insights on human brain function and suggest that self-construals provide a cultural framework that constrains brain activity underlying multiple cognitive and affective processes.