“The data also revealed that participants from holistic cultures – those that value notions of contradiction, change, and context – chose ideal levels of traits

“The data also revealed that participants from holistic cultures – those that value notions of contradiction, change, and context – chose ideal levels of traits that were consistently lower than those reported by participants from nonholistic cultures.“ This is exactly the empyrical explanation I gave to myself when I tried to understand why the people I met in Vietnam and Thailand are vastly happier than the average Westerner.