Caging the Green-Eyed Monster: Culture, Relational Mobility and Envy Expression

Abstract

Envy is a universally experienced emotion, yet people across cultures may express envy differently. We propose that although envious individuals across cultures morally disengage, the ways in which individuals respond to specific facets of moral disengagement are culturally-bounded. We introduce the concept of relational mobility – the extent to which one’s social environment provides opportunities to choose new relationships and terminate old ones – to understand why cultural differences may emerge in the expression of envy via social undermining and withdrawal behavior. In an experimental study (Study 1), we show that for Americans who perceive higher levels of relational mobility than Singaporeans, the positive relationship between envy, dehumanization – a specific facet of moral disengagement – and social undermining (i.e., an active negative behavior) is stronger. However, in a field study (Study 2), we show that for Taiwanese employees who perceive lower levels of relational mobility than American employees, the positive relationship between envy, distortion of consequences – another facet of moral disengagement – and withdrawal behavior (i.e., a passive negative behavior) is stronger. Our research suggests that cultural differences in relational mobility may moderate the expression of envy. Furthermore, our results show that certain facets of moral disengagement are more culturally-relevant than others in influencing how individuals respond to envy. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings.