WHEN A GAME endures a period of major threat, its resulting state of tightness can leave traces for centuries. Psychologist Professor Michele Gelfand studies these effects globally. She finds nations that have suffered events such as disease, famine, natural disaster or conflict have tighter cultures with stronger social norms and less tolerance for deviance than looser nations. ‘Groups that deal with many ecological and historical threats need to do everything they can to create order in the face of chaos,’ she writes. ‘The greater the threat, the tighter the community.’
