What is the difference between culture and society?

Culture refers to the traits of a population’s behavior, values, practices, beliefs and religion, while society is the environment or community that surrounds an individual. While culture is the total practices of a people, society is the general humanity.

Examples of culture are fashion, language, traditional products, music, art and ideals. Examples of society are villages, small towns and big cities. In the United States, for example, it is a cultural trait that people shake hands as a way of greeting. In Japan, people bow when greeting each other. The Maasai of Eastern Africa touch each other’s heads. The culture of one society can differ significantly from other societies.