Does modernization—economic growth, technological advancement, globalization, increased education, and urbanization—reduce cultural differences? Conventional wisdom suggests that as nations get richer and more educated, a globalized, modern culture emerges featuring low birth rates, high divorce rates, and an overall focus on the individual. Thomas Talhelm tests this hypothesis using the World Values Survey, which has collected data in a broad range of countries since 1981. Notably, variation in values between countries in the World Values Survey has grown from 1981–2017. According to Talhelm, modernization, rather than an external force that pushes all cultures toward the same outcome, might be better understood as an influx of resources that allows people to more fully express their cultural values and beliefs, akin to water poured on a seed.