A little over a week ago, I went scuba diving for the first time in Koh Tao—an island buzzing with visitors from all over the globe. It was an experience filled with firsts and surprises, not least of which was an unexpected insight into how cultural perspectives shape the way we process the world.
The day began with two hours of chilly pool training. By the end of it, I was freezing, visibly shaking as I waited near the front desk to complete my registration.
As I stood there, an 🇺🇸 American woman in front of me was chatting with a 🇯🇵 Japanese staff member. She was making small talk, telling jokes, and taking her time. Meanwhile, the staff member noticed my discomfort and, in a considerate gesture, began trying to wrap up their conversation so I could register. I smiled at him, silently grateful for his thoughtfulness.
Later that day, I returned for the real dive and saw the same trainer again. During a brief conversation, he brought up the American woman we’d both interacted with earlier.
“She sees like this,” he said, moving his hands straight forward from his eyes 👉. Then he added with a smile, “But you and I, we see like this,” tracing his hands outward diagonally, as if opening up to take in a wider perspective 👐. His observation seemed to reflect how people from different cultures approach the world—some focusing first on specifics, others on the bigger picture.
That comment stayed with me long after the dive. It wasn’t just a casual observation—it felt like a window into a deeper cultural difference. Curious, I did some digging and found this contrast reflects something fascinating about how people from different cultures process information:
✨ Western cultures (like the 🇺🇸 U.S. and 🇬🇧 U.K.) tend to think MICRO-to-MACRO
They often start with the details and work toward the bigger picture. In a workplace setting, for instance, a Western professional might begin a meeting by diving into specific project deliverables or challenges before stepping back to discuss how it all fits into the broader strategy.
✨ Asian cultures (like 🇯🇵 Japan and 🇨🇳 China), on the other hand, often think MACRO-to-MICRO
Here, the approach tends to start with the big picture, gradually working toward the details. A team in Japan or China might begin a meeting by discussing overarching company goals or the project’s long-term impact before narrowing the focus to individual tasks.
Or, we could look at an even simpler example: the way we write addresses. In Western cultures, addresses typically start with the smallest detail—like the house number—before zooming out to the city or country. In contrast, Asian cultures often start with the largest context—like the country or prefecture—before narrowing down.
Reflecting on the day, I realized that the Japanese trainer wasn’t just completing a task. He noticed the American woman’s humor, my discomfort, and the broader flow of the situation. His actions reflected a macro-to-micro, holistic way of thinking. In contrast, the American woman’s approach, filled with small talk and immediate focus, was more detail-first—a classic micro-to-macro perspective.
Neither approach is better or worse—they’re just different. And yet, understanding these differences can be powerful, especially when we work or interact across cultures.
It’s fascinating how deeply culture influences the way we "see" and process the world around us.
🌏 Have you ever noticed differences like these in how people approach problem-solving or communication across cultures? I’d love to hear your experiences.
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