Higher contact cultures stand closer to each other, make more eye contact, speak louder and incorporate touch more frequently. Examples of high contact cultures include those from the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Europe.
High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. Countries that fall into this categorization are Japan, China, France, Spain, Brazil, and more.
High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. Communicators in high-context cultures pay attention to more than the words spoken – they also pay attention to interpersonal relationships, nonverbal expressions, physical settings, and social settings.
*Cultures in which people tend to touch each other less often than is usual in most cultures, maintain more interpersonal distance, face each other more indirectly, have less eye contact, and speak more quietly. For example, China, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
The USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized.
The culture of Australia is primarily a Western culture, originally derived from Britain but also influenced by the unique geography of Australia and the cultural input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Australian people.
New Zealand can be considered a “low context culture”. That means, generally, it is a culture where people say what they mean, and mean what they say.
Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. The United States, on the other hand, is considered a low-context culture, relying largely on explicit verbal explanations to keep everyone on the same page.
Chinese culture is a representative high context culture, which tends to rely on background and implicit hints in the communication process to convey information, rather than using many detailed words to explain everything.
India is a high context culture where communication is generally more indirect than in most Western countries. What is said may have multiple interpretations based on the context of the interaction, as well as the body language, tone and words used.
What Is a High-Context Culture? High-context cultures are cultures in which subtlety and collective understanding rule the day. Many Asian and Arabic countries—like China, Korea, and Saudi Arabia—fall into this category.
For example, in African-American cultures, eye contact with authority figures may be viewed as disrespectful. Similarly, among some Asian groups, eye contact between strangers could be considered shameful. In some Latino cultures sustained eye contact may be viewed as disrespectful.
High-context cultures, on the other hand, tend to value more circularity and have much greater patience for details and background. The U.S. is generally a low-context culture, while countries like France and Japan have high-context cultures.
High-context cultures include Eastern cultures such as Korea, where people have widespread networks with family, friends, and organizations. Low-context cultures include the US, Germany, and other northern European individualistic cultures (Hall & Hall 1990; Irwin, 1996).
Asian People are High-Context Communicators
Asian cultures are typically high context cultures in which gesture, body language, eye contact, pitch, intonation, word stress, and the use of silence are as important as the actual words being spoken in conversation.
Low-context cultures such as Canada, the US and many European countries value the social aspects of communication. In these cultures, it is important to communicate effectively and communicate with a purpose.
In a low-context culture, communication occurs through explicitly spelled out and defined words, and listeners just have to interpret spoken or written words as they are. Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures.
Most Mediterranean countries are considered high context countries, and Italy is not an exception. Italian culture has a collectivist view that emphasizes emotions, family, and group relationships. Open displays of affection, vigorous handshakes and hugs are a normal part of Italian culture.
Mexico is generally considered to be a “high-context” culture, meaning one in which connections have developed over years of interaction and a shared understanding of expectations.
The culture of Australia is a Western culture derived primarily from Britain but also influenced by the unique geography of the Australian continent, the diverse input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Oceania people.
The three largest ancestries in Australia in 2021 were English, Australian and Irish.
Examples of countries with loose cultures include Australia, Belgium, Israel, New Zealand and the United States. Institutional mechanisms govern behavior in tight cultures, according to research by Brian Gunia.