effort. People in collective societies tend to value harmony and duty. They tend to underestimate their own skills and are more self-effacing when describing their contributions to group efforts. Researchers argue about why certain cultures have become more individualistic than others. Some say that Western cultures draw their values from ancient Greece, with its emphasis on individual heroism, while other cultures draw on more on tribal philosophies. Recently, some scientists have theorized that it all goes back to microbes. Collectivist societies tend to pop up in parts of the world, especially around the equator, with plenty of disease-causing microbes. In such an environment, youd want to shun outsiders, who might bring strange diseases, and enforce a certain conformity over eating rituals and social behavior.Either way, individualistic societies have tended to do better economically. We in the West have a narrative that involves the development of individual reason and conscience during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and then the subsequent flourishing of capitalism. According to this narrative, societies get more individualistic as they develop.But what happens if collectivist societies snap out of their economic stagnation? What happens if collectivist societies, especially those in Asia, rise economically and come to rival the West? A new sort of global conversation develops.The opening ceremony in Beijing was a statement in that conversation. It was part of Chinas assertion that development doesnt come only through Western, liberal means, but also through Eastern and collective ones.The ceremony drew from Chinas long history, but surely the most striking features were the images of thousands of Chinese moving as one drumming as one, dancing as one, sprinting on precise formations without ever stumbling or colliding. Weve seen displays of mass conformity before, but this was collectivism of the present a high-tech vision of the harmonious society performed in the context of Chinas miraculous growth. If Asias success reopens the debate between individualism and collectivism (which seemed closed after the cold war), then its unlikely that the forces of individualism will sweep the field or even gain an edge. For one thing, there are relatively few individualistic societies on earth. For another, the essence of a lot of the latest scientific research is that the Western idea of individual choice is an illusion and the Chinese are right to put first emphasis on social contexts.Scientists have delighted to show that so-called rational choice is shaped by a whole range of subconscious influences, like emotional contagions and priming effects (people who think of a professor before taking a test do better than people who think of a criminal). Meanwhile, human brains turn out to be extremely permeable (they naturally mimic the neural firings of people around them). Relationships are the key to happiness. People who live in the densest social networks tend to flourish, while people who live with few social bonds are much more prone to depression and suicide.The rise of China isnt only an economic event. Its a cultural one. The ideal of a harmonious collective may turn out to be as attractive as the ideal of the American Dream.