Culture refers to the human ability to classify and communicate experiences symbolically. It includes a society's way of life comprising codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, and systems of belief. Culture consists of four elements passed down through generations: values, norms, institutions, and artifacts. Values are ideas about what seems important, norms are expectations of how people will behave, institutions transmit values and norms, and artifacts derive from a culture's values and norms.