Openness to Experience: from ecology to culture

Individuals high in Openness to Experience are more likely to enjoy imaginary worlds, visit museums, be vaccinated, support redistribution, endorse animal rights, and volunteer, alongside a wide array of other characteristic behaviors. Although these behaviors appear disparate, we propose that they form a coherent constellation grounded in a tendency to explore the unknown and tolerate uncertainty. This clarifies why levels of Openness vary across individuals, groups, and historical periods: exploration is modulated by ecological conditions such as safety and resource availability. When environments make exploration worthwhile, Openness expands; when conditions are harsh or precarious, it contracts. Consequently, ecological differences should generate systematic differences in cultural forms. This framework explains how ecological conditions shape culture through their effects on personality.