Any human activity is based on forecasting. But the forecast is most often based on culture - a matrix of mental models of behavior in society. These models determine the same type of reactions of people belonging to the same cultural environment, and ensure their constructive interaction in all life manifestations - from emotions to technical developments.
The culture of a particular society can be considered a system of mental models of behavior that are common to the overwhelming majority of members of this society. In other words, it is a set of well-established rules, relationships and concepts inherent in people of the same mentality.
Culture, in this sense, is needed in order to facilitate the understanding and interaction of members of a society or a group of people, its representatives. A single common cultural environment allows one person to understand another and predict his reaction to this or that action or word. This facilitates the interaction of people belonging to the same culture, which is their common characteristic.
Culture facilitates interaction also because not all cases of interaction are subject to the formal application of laws, treaties, and governing rules of conduct. Many cases are not described by them, but they remain, nevertheless, obvious to people belonging to the same cultural stratum or society. A common culture means that these people will behave in the same way in these, obvious to them, cases.
Culture allows you to establish unwritten rules of communication in business, which lawyers call "business customs", in everyday life, which are prescribed by etiquette. Some of these rules are learned literally with mother's milk and are taken for granted for representatives of one culture, and are not even stipulated by any special regulations.
But, meanwhile, for representatives of another culture, these things are not obvious and cause surprise and even rejection. Therefore, when people from different cultures interact, misunderstandings and difficulties arise.
Knowing the basics of the cultural environment in which you were born or live is the key that will help you in communicating with those around you.
