What actually happens in your brain when you step outside your cultural comfort zone? In this episode of Mind Tricks Radio, I sit down with neuroscientist and science writer Dr. Aditi Subramaniam to explore how immersing yourself in different cultures can literally rewire the brain — expanding creativity, empathy, and mental flexibility. Drawing from her background in neuroscience and her own life as someone who’s lived between India and the U.S., Dr. Subramaniam offers a fascinating look at how cultural experiences sculpt the mind.
We talk about how living between worlds trains the brain to adapt — kind of like giving it extra sets of LEGO blocks. The more “pieces” you have from different cultures, the more creative combinations your mind can build. From Indian-American pop-music mashups to bilingual brains that toggle between languages like athletes switching stances, the science shows that multicultural exposure builds stronger, more flexible neural networks. And that same flexibility, it turns out, is linked to better problem-solving, resilience, and even mental health.
But the conversation goes deeper than just creativity. Dr. Subramaniam explains how exposure to different cultures can melt prejudice — not metaphorically, but neurologically. When we build real relationships across cultures, empathy circuits in the brain light up in ways they simply don’t when we only know people “in the abstract.” Culture, she reminds us, doesn’t just shape how we think; it shapes how our neurons fire when we decide who matters to us.
We also venture into the sensory and social side of culture: how tonal languages fine-tune auditory systems, how dancing or singing in sync triggers endorphins and social bonding, and how belonging to a cultural community can actually lower cortisol levels and buffer stress. And as our world moves increasingly online, Dr. Subramaniam discusses the promise — and peril — of digital culture as the newest frontier for cross-cultural connection and empathy.
At its heart, this episode is about what it means to grow — not just intellectually, but neurologically and emotionally — through openness to the unfamiliar. As Dr. Subramaniam puts it, embracing other cultures doesn’t dilute who we are; it expands us. The more we step into other worlds, the more connected, creative, and compassionate our own becomes.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Kaplan:
Aditi, welcome to the show.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Hi Aaron, thank you so much for having me. I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to a really interesting discussion.
Dr. Kaplan:
I’m excited to have you on the show. I read your post on Psychology Today about culture and neuroscience—two subjects I’m deeply interested in. I don’t know if you know this, but I did my dissertation research in Nepal and have a strong interest in cultural psychology. Honestly, I don’t think I have enough guests on this subject, and I’d like to have more. I’ve been really looking forward to this conversation.
Dr. Subramaniam:
That’s awesome! It’s nice to know you spent time in Nepal. You have personal experience being immersed in a different culture, which is great.
Dr. Kaplan:
You’re a neuroscientist and clearly fascinated by culture. I’d love to start by hearing about your personal background and your pathway toward becoming a neuroscientist.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Sure. My PhD work focused on investigating eye movements as potential biomarkers for schizophrenia. I conducted MRI studies to examine relationships between gray matter in the brain and eye movement performance in patients with schizophrenia and their siblings.
While doing my PhD, I realized I loved writing. A few years after completing it, I started a freelancing career in science writing. Communicating neuroscience and psychology to audiences without much background in these areas gives me great joy—it broadens my horizons and combines two of my passions: neuroscience and writing.
Now, in addition to freelancing, I work full-time as a content developer at a continuing medical education company, where I develop neuroscience materials for clinicians.
As for my interest in culture and the brain—I grew up in India, surrounded by the sensory richness of sound, color, and community. Later, I spent much of my adult life in the U.S., immersed in a very different culture—one that prizes individualism, self-expression, and scientific rigor. This bi-cultural experience shows up in small ways every day.
For example, my playlist has everything from A.R. Rahman to Taylor Swift—thanks to my daughter, who was born in the U.S. She’s even introduced me to BTS!
Dr. Kaplan:
Having children must really let you observe the intersection of culture, neuroscience, and development.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Absolutely. She’s my live experiment subject, in a way! My Psychology Today blog is called Parenting from a Neuroscience Perspective, and it’s fascinating watching how she navigates both cultures.
This easy mingling of influences has always intrigued me. How does the brain negotiate overlapping worlds? What happens in our neural circuits when we code-switch? Those questions inspired the article you mentioned.
Dr. Kaplan:
You talk about flexible minds in that article, which is such a great concept. It’s relevant in clinical psychology too—we discuss “psychological flexibility” all the time. Let’s start with creativity. How does exposure to different cultures enhance creativity?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Immersing in multiple cultures is like giving your mind extra sets of LEGO blocks—more pieces to combine in new ways.
For example, Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Indian singer Arijit Singh on “Sapphire” fused English pop with Punjabi elements, creating something novel and cross-cultural. In my own life, I’ve cooked masala pasta using Indian spices or celebrated Diwali and Halloween on the same day. These playful mash-ups show how cultural mixing sparks creativity by breaking us out of routine patterns.
Research supports this: people with rich multicultural experiences tend to perform better on creativity tasks. They make more unusual associations, solve more insight problems, and tell more original stories.
Dr. Kaplan:
That makes sense. From a neuroscience standpoint, do we know what’s happening in the brain?
Dr. Subramaniam:
There’s no single “creativity spot” in the brain. Creativity involves connecting previously unrelated ideas. Exposure to diverse cultures provides new input, encouraging novel neural connections. Living between cultures keeps the brain’s association networks flexible and richly supplied with new material—an ideal recipe for creativity.
Dr. Kaplan:
And that ties into psychological flexibility. What does it mean to have a flexible mind, and how does it help in real life?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Navigating multiple cultures makes you a mental chameleon. You constantly shift perspectives and behaviors based on context—what psychologists call frame-switching or code-switching.
For instance, my daughter sees us eat with our hands at home, but she’s equally comfortable twirling spaghetti with a fork or eating sushi with chopsticks. She switches effortlessly between cultural rules. That adaptability trains the brain to recognize multiple valid approaches instead of rigid thinking.
Dr. Kaplan:
I remember when I first lived in Nepal, seeing people eat with their hands surprised me. Eventually I started enjoying it—it felt more natural. That shift was a good example of psychological flexibility.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Exactly. That kind of adaptability teaches mental agility. Instead of clinging to one worldview, you become comfortable moving between perspectives. Psychological flexibility, in turn, is linked to better problem-solving and mental health. Exposure to different cultures is a natural way to cultivate it.
Dr. Kaplan:
You also discuss reducing prejudice. How does that connect to flexibility?
Dr. Subramaniam:
One of the most powerful antidotes to prejudice is meaningful contact with people from other cultures. There’s a big difference between knowing about a group and actually knowing people from that group.
For instance, being invited to a Thanksgiving dinner lets you experience another culture firsthand. Sharing food and laughter dissolves stereotypes quickly—others become friends, not abstractions.
Psychologists have studied this for decades through the “contact hypothesis.” A meta-analysis of over 500 studies shows that intergroup contact reliably reduces prejudice. Positive interactions build empathy, reduce anxiety, and increase perspective-taking.
Neuroscience supports this too: brain scans show that empathy areas are less active when we view out-group members, but positive contact can change that. Exposure literally “melts” exclusion at a neural level.
Dr. Kaplan:
That’s fascinating. You also mention cultural appropriation versus cultural fusion—how does that fit in?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Bringing cultures together can trigger tension if it’s one-sided or done without respect. Respect and reciprocity separate enriching cultural fusion from problematic appropriation.
When both artists are credited and traditions are acknowledged, fusion feels authentic—like dialogue between equals. But if a pop song just samples a sitar sound for exotic flavor without crediting its origins, it feels extractive. It’s the difference between collaboration and exploitation.
Dr. Kaplan:
Let’s move to sensory neuroscience. Does growing up in a particular culture affect perception—language, sound, or attention?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Yes. Culture can shape even our basic sensory systems through neuroplasticity.
For example, speakers of tonal languages like Mandarin develop heightened pitch discrimination. Their brains encode pitch more robustly than non-tonal language speakers, sometimes giving them advantages in musical perception too.
Dr. Kaplan:
Is there an age limit to that kind of neuroplasticity?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Our brains remain capable of change throughout life. They’re not as agile as in childhood, but adult neuroplasticity is real and striking.
Dr. Kaplan:
Let’s talk about bilingualism. What does neuroscience tell us about its effects?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Bilingualism is a brilliant example of cultural neuroscience. It’s not just about storing two vocabularies—it’s about managing two parallel systems.
Bilinguals often excel at executive functions like problem-solving, ignoring distractions, and task-switching. Constantly toggling between languages strengthens inhibitory control, focus, and mental flexibility. Children and adults alike show advantages in creative thinking and pattern recognition because they approach problems from multiple linguistic angles.
Dr. Kaplan:
That makes perfect sense. Now, here’s a curveball: cultural rituals—music, dance, chanting, meditation—do they affect brain function?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Yes. Rituals often involve repetition, rhythm, focus, and coordination—all of which leave neural marks.
When people dance or sing in sync, they release endorphins that foster bonding and increase pain tolerance. Moving in rhythm can blur the self–other boundary in the brain, creating a merged sense of “us.” Evolutionarily, this strengthened group cohesion.
So rituals are workouts for body and soul, engaging motor, emotional, and reward systems simultaneously.
Dr. Kaplan:
What about stress? How does bicultural living affect stress systems?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Living in multiple cultures can be a double-edged sword. Bicultural individuals may face “cultural stress” when balancing conflicting expectations, leading to elevated cortisol and anxiety.
But when they achieve “bicultural integration”—a harmonious identity—they show greater resilience. Belonging is key: feeling accepted in any cultural community buffers stress. Social support calms the brain’s stress response and lowers cortisol. Simply knowing you’re supported can reduce blood pressure and stress hormones.
Dr. Kaplan:
That sense of belonging sounds essential.
Dr. Subramaniam:
It is. We’re social creatures. Belonging provides emotional support and tangible help, releasing soothing hormones like oxytocin.
Dr. Kaplan:
Let’s talk about collectivist versus individualistic cultures. How do these cultural frameworks show up neurologically?
Dr. Subramaniam:
Culture influences how the brain distinguishes self from others. In collectivist societies, identity is intertwined with relationships.
One famous study in China found that when participants thought about themselves or their mothers, the same brain region—the medial prefrontal cortex—activated. For Western participants, that area lit up for self-reflection but not for family members.
This shows that collectivist cultures integrate close others into the self-concept. It’s not that one group is more empathetic, but empathy is directed differently—toward in-group members rather than strangers.
Culture runs deep—it shapes how neurons fire when we think about who we are and who matters to us. Recognizing that helps us practice empathy and understand that people behave as their cultures have taught them.
And because our brains are plastic, we can rewire. Westerners can practice interdependence, and collectivists can cultivate independence. Cultural wiring evolves—it’s not fixed.
Dr. Kaplan:
That’s fascinating. I hadn’t heard about those studies showing the overlap between self and family in the brain—it’s incredible evidence for how culture shapes neural structure.
Let’s move to digital culture. As people form more online communities, how might this affect neural development?
Dr. Subramaniam:
We’re in uncharted but exciting territory. Digital technology has created a virtual melting pot. A teenager in a small town can now interact daily with peers across the world.
Virtual exposure can bring some of the same benefits as real cultural contact—improving empathy and global awareness—though in a more limited way. Studies show that virtual exchange programs help students develop intercultural communication and perspective-taking.
From a neuroscience standpoint, even virtual interaction activates social cognition networks—interpreting expressions, accents, and etiquette. VR studies show that immersive simulations, like “walking in someone else’s shoes,” can increase compassion and activate empathy circuits. Some researchers call VR the “ultimate empathy machine.”
Dr. Kaplan:
That’s amazing—and I agree, VR is a fascinating tool for cross-cultural understanding. But as you said, there’s a dark side too.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Exactly. Online algorithms can create echo chambers, reinforcing our existing views instead of broadening them. The challenge is to use technology as a bridge rather than a barrier.
Used wisely, the digital world can democratize cultural exchange and help our neural development include understanding humor, accents, and perspectives from all over the world.
Dr. Kaplan:
Aditi, this has been a fascinating discussion. Any final thoughts on how exposure to different cultures expands the mind?
Dr. Subramaniam:
I’d offer both encouragement and awe. Embracing different cultures enriches both our brains and our hearts. It fuels creativity, increases mental agility, reduces bias, and builds bridges between people.
Our notions of normal, beautiful, or true expand. Rather than making us unmoored, it grounds us in a broader sense of human connection. Neuroscience highlights what we intuitively feel—when we engage across cultures, we actually grow.
Each time we add another culture’s perspective, we don’t lose anything; we expand meaning. It’s not a zero-sum game. You gain a broader identity and a sense that you’re a citizen of a larger world.
If you have a chance to immerse yourself in another culture—through travel, friendship, or art—do it. It literally expands who you are. Better brain growth than milk, right?
Dr. Kaplan:
Absolutely! Very wise words and such a fascinating topic. Thank you so much for being on the show.
Dr. Subramaniam:
Thank you, Aaron. I really enjoyed talking with you about this.