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TABLE 8.2 Key Differences Between Indulgent and Restrained Societies
I: General Norm, Personal Feelings, and Health

INDULGENT RESTRAINED

Higher percentages of very happy Lower percentages of very happy
people people
A perception of personal life control A perception of helplessness: what
happens to me is not my own doing.
Higher importance of leisure Lower importance of leisure
Higher importance of having friends Lower importance of having friends
Thrift is not very important. Thrift is important.
Loose society Tight society
More likely to remember positive Less likely to remember positive
emotions emotions
Less moral discipline Moral discipline
Positive attitude Cynicism
More extroverted personalities More neurotic personalities
Higher percentages of people who Lower percentages of people who
feel healthy feel healthy
Higher optimism More pessimism
In countries with well-educated In countries with well-educated
populations, higher birthrates populations, lower birthrates
Lower death rates from Higher death rates from
cardiovascular diseases cardiovascular diseases

propensity to enjoy life, friends should have a higher importance in indul-
gent societies, since one of the functions of friends is to provide fun and
entertainment.
The WVS provides an opportunity to test this hypothesis. One item
asks respondents how important friends are in their lives. The percentages
of respondents who answered “very important” are positively correlated
with IVR. This is consistent with the finding that indulgent cultures are

characterized by greater extraversion—a personal-level measurement of
sociability and fun-orientation.
The Pew Research Center in its 2002–03 surveys asked respondents
whether foreign movies and music are a good thing. The percentages of
respondents who chose the “very good” option are positively correlated
with indulgence. More indulgent societies have higher percentages of peo-