The Importance of Immigrants in America

Keeping America innovative means maintaining its power to lure in immigrants, according to this article. But as it argues, that lure is fading.

1 minute read

May 21, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


It's not just foreign talent, but the impact that diversity has on places.

"[T]he advantages of immigration aren't limited to those with particular academic backgrounds. In recent years, psychologists have discovered that exposing people to different cultures, either through travel abroad or diversity in their hometown, can also make them more creative. When we encounter other cultures we become more willing to consider multiple interpretations of the same thing. Take leaving food on one's plate: In China, it's often a compliment, signaling that the host has provided enough to eat. But in America it can suggest that the food wasn't good."

Saturday, May 14, 2011 in The Wall Street Jounal

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