Hi Jeff --

Your proposal about a habit-following society seems entirely plausible to me, and if you will forgive me I'll phrase it in rational-choice terms: if people feel greater comfort (personal utility -- remember that "utils" are not solely material benefits) -- acquiescing to group pressure, to institutional routine, to passt practice, then they will place higher utility on those options , and they will more often (than people
elsewhere?) avoid the option of being the nail that sticks out. But that's a choice, rather than non-choice. Sticking to routine is a choice even if becomes very habitual.

Individuals within a society differ in the degree of change and disruption they like or dislike. It is entirely plausible that societies differ from each other in the frequency with which the iindividuals in those societies prefer routine over change, compliance and conformity over challenge.

Such observations are perfectly consistent with rational choice modeling.

Meg McKean