Question: what makes people piolite?

Helen O'Connor answered on 13 Jun 2011:

One theory is that we are polite because we need to belong to a social group and this happens by doing things that will make us liked by “our” group: basically we are polite for selfish reasons, because it stops our group rejecting us.

When other people are nice or nasty to us it can make us feel better or worse about ourselves. So one reason I think we are polite is because when we meet new people we want them to think we are nice, that way they treat us nicely, and then we feel better about ourselves. I have noticed that people are often more polite when they meet new people, or at work, than they are with their own family and friends and I have often wondered why this is. Perhaps we feel that our own family will like us no matter what we are like!

What is interesting is what is considered rude or polite in different cultures. Burping is considered rude in the UK, but in some countries it shows that you are enjoying your meal.