Studies of cultures in different countries have concluded that cultural differences often arise from different ecological and historical conditions. Tight countries have endured a wide range of ecological and historical threats with loose countries having gone through fewer.

• The strong norms in tight nations help humans coordinate their social action in the face of numerous survival threats.
• Loose nations are more able to ”afford” more latitude and permissiveness because they face far fewer natural and human made threats.

Research on the fifty states shows that some striking similarities in why states vary in the strength of their social norms, which is displayed on this map. Tighter states have,

• More threatening ecological conditions, with a higher incidence of natural disasters, poorer environmental health, greater disease prevalence and fewer natural resources.
• Greater perceptions of external threat, reflected in the desire for more national defense spending and higher rates of military recruitment.
• A higher average of conscientiousness, lower impulsivity, greater self-control, orderliness and conformity relative to looser states.
• Greater social organization (less instability and greater cohesion), better indicators of self-control (lower alcohol and illicit drug abuse) and lower rates of homelessness relative to loose states.
• Higher incarceration rates, greater discrimination, lower creativity and lower happiness.

Tightness was calculated with a composite index involving many variables, including the,

• Severity of punishment for violating laws,
• Degree of permissiveness or deviance tolerance in states,
• Strength of institutions that constrain behavior and enforce moral order, and
• Percentage of the total state population that is foreign, which indicates diversity and cosmopolitanism.

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