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Hi, this is Ray.

I grew up in Istanbul, a city layered with history, energy, and about seventeen million people who all seem to be trying to cross the same street at the same time. Living there taught me early on that your surroundings shape how you think. Not because of the culture in a cliché sense, but because your environment quietly trains your brain long before you step into a classroom.

Later, when I studied in the United States, I noticed something fascinating. Students there interacted with learning differently than many of the students I grew up with. Not because one way was better, but because their experiences had shaped different habits, expectations, and comfort zones.

That is when I realized something important.

Learning styles are not fixed. They are influenced by the environments we grow up in.

And once you understand how your background affects learning, you can use it to your advantage.

Culture Influences How We Approach Knowledge

The way people learn is shaped by what they have been encouraged to value.

A study from the University of Michigan showed that people raised in different environments process information differently based on what their context rewarded. Some environments emphasize precision and breaking down details. Others emphasize context, relationships, or systems.

This is not about geography. It is about the mental habits your environment reinforced.

-Maybe you were raised in a place that rewarded independent thinking.

-Maybe you grew up somewhere that rewarded careful listening.

-Maybe your school system prioritized memorization or experimentation or collaboration.

These are not stereotypes. They are learned habits. And habits shape cognition.

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Culture Affects Information Processing Styles

A study from the University of British Columbia found that people develop information-processing preferences based on the patterns they are exposed to.

Some people naturally focus on the specific detail first. Others automatically look for the big picture.

Both approaches are useful. Both can be trained. Both help learning in different ways.

Your default style is not destiny. It is simply practice.

Culture Shapes How Comfortable We Are With Mistakes

Many people grow up in environments where making a mistake feels risky. Others grow up in environments where mistakes are treated as part of the learning cycle.

A study from Stanford University found that when learners interpret errors as information rather than failure, the brain shows more neural growth.

This has nothing to do with nationality. It has everything to do with what your early environment reinforced. Some families, schools, or workplaces treat mistakes as something to avoid. Others treat them as stepping stones.

Most of us internalize whatever was around us.

The key is noticing how you were trained to react and choosing a response that supports learning instead of fear.

Cultural Background Shapes Motivation

A study from Yale University found that people develop different motivational systems depending on what they were encouraged to value growing up.

-Some people are driven by internal goals.

-Some by community expectations.

-Some by responsibility.

-Some by curiosity.

-Some by competition.

-Some by contribution.

None of these are “cultural traits.” They are environmental influences that shaped the way your brain responds to effort and reward.

Understanding your motivational blueprint lets you design a learning system that works with your psychology instead of against it.

Culture Shapes Learning Habits and Classroom Comfort

A study from the University of Minnesota found that behavior in learning environments is heavily influenced by early life context.

-Some learners are comfortable speaking up.

-Some prefer to listen first.

-Some thrive in group work.

-Some think best alone.

-Some learn best through structure.

-Some thrive on exploration.

These differences are not personality in the strict sense. They are learned patterns shaped by what you were rewarded for growing up.

The beautiful part is that you can expand your comfort zone at any time.

Culture Shapes Memory Encoding

A study from the University of Southern California found that what we remember best depends on what our environment trained us to notice.

If you grew up in a place where stories were common, you may remember narratives easily.

If you grew up around systems or logic, you may remember structure more easily.

If you were raised around social interaction, you may remember details connected to people.

You can strengthen any memory pathway with practice. Understanding your default helps you choose the right strategies.

How to Use Your Background to Learn Better

Here are science-based ways to turn your environmental learning habits into strengths.

1. Identify the patterns that shaped your learning

Think about how school, family, work, or community treated learning.

This tells you what your brain expects.

2. Lean into what works

-If you process ideas best through stories, use narratives.

-If you think best through structure, use frameworks.

-If you learn best by questioning, build that in.

None of this is culture. It is habit.

3. Strengthen the opposite skill

-If you are detail-focused, practice summarizing.

-If you are big-picture focused, practice specificity.

-If you hesitate with mistakes, practice low-stakes experimentation.

This balances your cognitive toolbox.

4. Choose motivation that fits your upbringing

-If you were raised on responsibility, build accountability.

-If you were raised on independence, build autonomy.

-If you were raised on community, build peer learning.

Work with your wiring, not against it.

5. Redesign your environment intentionally

Your brain is always shaped by the environment around it. Choose settings, tools, and routines that support the learner you want to become.

My Experiment: Two Learning Worlds in One Brain

Growing up in Istanbul and studying in the US gave me two different learning ecosystems. One taught me structure and attentiveness. The other taught me questioning and exploration.

Neither one defines me. Both enriched me.

Once I realized I could choose the best parts of each system, my learning accelerated. I could switch modes depending on the skill, the subject, or the challenge.

That is the real power of understanding your cultural environment.

You gain more learning tools, not fewer.

The Bigger Lesson: Your Background Is a Resource, Not a Limit

Your culture and environment shaped your early learning patterns, but they do not confine you. They simply gave you the starting tools in your toolbox.

You can expand that toolbox anytime.

Once you understand how your background shaped your approach to learning, you can:

• strengthen what works

• update what doesn’t

• blend approaches

• build flexibility

• grow faster and deeper

Your learning style is not fixed. It is a living system.

Stay curious,

Ray