But after careful observation, we noticed that 70 percent of people actually did something different. Prof Eilam posits, “When we started to analyze this tradition, we didn’t see many differences. The team also studied the traditional Jewish “tefillin” ceremony, in which Jewish men wrap a leather band around their arm as part of their morning prayers. The traditional “Umsindo” dance high kick. Keeping with tradition means staying true to yourself “Now we have found a way to use the same tools that we use in biology to create a more solid understanding of cultural information,” explains Prof. The idiosyncratic acts of individuals may eventually be repeated by others, becoming an integral part of a ritual, or essentially a new meme. The basis of evolution is variability, and in a sense the same rules that apply to evolution in biology can also be applied to culture,” says Prof. “The variability that we have in rituals has the same importance that variation has in biology. SEE ALSO: Say Yo! Why This Ridiculously Simple Israeli App Is Going Viral In their study, the researchers also discovered that idiosyncratic acts, or distinctive expressions, which often occur before or after a ritual, are actually essential to how, and if, the meme catches on. As long as the acts are brief, short, simple, and used repeatedly, they have the potential to become a meme,” Eilam explains. “In culture, unlike in biology, there is really no reason why certain styles of music, architecture, or fashion prevail. Eilam and a team of researchers have found a way to offer both qualitative and quantitative methods to track memes, reinforcing Dawkins’ original theory that both genes and memes evolve in similar ways.Īccording to Eilam’s research, memes appear and catch on somewhat randomly. However, Dawkins’ research remained incomplete. In his book, ‘The Selfish Gene,’ Dawkins suggests that just as genes transfer genetic properties from one individual to another, “memes” have a unique way of transferring cultural information by replicating and spreading from one mind to another. The term “meme,” first coined in 1976 by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, explains the way cultural information spreads.
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