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Wil brought up the difference in Eastern and Western culture--and this brings me to a common study in psychology, where the Eastern culture is considered collectivist and Western culture is considered more individualistic.  It is often found that in individualistic societies, such as in the United States, the importance of family is hierarchically below the importance of self.  In a collectivist world, individualistic people are often considered egotistical and selfish.  In a collectivist culture, a common "rule of the average" seems to take precedence over individualism, and family is hierarchically more important.  However, from the world of the individualists, collectivists seem to have no personal ambitions or pride.  Moreover, though, it seems that both of these cultures--while distinctively different--do conform to the story of culture that is mostly agreed upon today: that there is a common thread of knowledge, either collectivism or individualism, that most of the people in the region conform to.  Whether or not our own story agrees with a certain culture is irrelevant, and only comes into importance when we are raised in a culture that somehow our brain does not choose to create its' story around: example, Amish culture.  The Amish give their children a choice at age 14 to choose the Amish way of life or the more individualistic way of life.  Therefore, it is plausible that there is a thread of knowledge in some Amish people that lead them to tell a story in the Amish fashion, and in others, in the individualistic fashion.  Once again, we come back to the diverse architecture of the brain.

In Biology 202 with Paul, I took an interest in the other aspect of culture and storytelling: how does culture affect the brain?  I did a bit of research on a sect in Brazil, called Capoeira Angola, and their concept of martial arts (which their culture put great emphasis on).  This martial arts was completed, most of the time, upon their hands or head--which greatly warped the usual standards of balance.  This cultural 'adaptation,' as we may possibly call it, affected the way the brain processed balance.  Article: here.  In a simplistic way, this type of 'adaptation,' considered cultural, did greatly affect brain architecture whereas those conforming to the Capoeira Angola have diverse ways of balancing as compared to my own culture.