Abstract
The present study examined how emotional fit with culture – the degree of similarity between an individual’ emotional response to the emotional response of others from the same culture – relates to well-being in a sample of Asian American and European American college students. Using a profile correlation method, we calculated three types of emotional fit based on self-reported emotions, facial expressions, and physiological responses. We then examined the relationships between emotional fit and individual well-being (depression, life satisfaction) as well as collective aspects of well-being, namely collective self-esteem (one’s evaluation of one’s cultural group) and identification with one’s group. The results revealed that self-report emotional fit was associated with greater individual well-being across cultures. In contrast, culture moderated the relationship between self-report emotional fit and collective self-esteem, such that emotional fit predicted greater collective self-esteem in Asian Americans, but not in European Americans. Behavioral emotional fit was unrelated to well-being. There was a marginally significant cultural moderation in the relationship between physiological emotional fit in a strong emotional situation and group identification. Specifically, physiological emotional fit predicted greater group identification in Asian Americans, but not in European Americans. However, this finding disappeared after a Bonferroni correction. The current finding extends previous research by showing that, while emotional fit may be closely related to individual aspects of well-being across cultures, the influence of emotional fit on collective aspects of well-being may be unique to cultures that emphasize interdependence and social harmony, and thus being in alignment with other members of the group.
Highlights
While early research has conceptualized emotions as largely intrapersonal experiences that take place within individuals, emotions are social (Parkinson, 1996) and emerge from dynamic interactions between individuals and their social environment (Campos et al, 1989; Lazarus, 1991; Mesquita, 2010)
The present study examined the association between emotional fit and individual and collective aspects of well-being and the role of culture in this relationship
Emotional fit based on self-report ratings of emotions significantly predicted individual well-being including reduced depression and greater life satisfaction in both Asian Americans and European Americans
Summary
While early research has conceptualized emotions as largely intrapersonal experiences that take place within individuals, emotions are social (Parkinson, 1996) and emerge from dynamic interactions between individuals and their social environment (Campos et al, 1989; Lazarus, 1991; Mesquita, 2010). Because the social environment is culturally constructed, the interaction between individuals and their social environment can lead to variations in emotional experiences across cultures (Markus and Kitayama, 1991; Mesquita and Frijda, 1992). Emotional Fit and Well-Being difference in emotions can manifest in the form of varying preferences for and prevalence of particular types of emotions (Eid and Diener, 2001; Kitayama et al, 2006; Tsai et al, 2006) At another level, culture may have a broader impact on how we understand emotions. In East Asian culture, where the mutual interdependence between individuals is highlighted, emotions are viewed as social and moral processes (Masuda et al, 2008; Mesquita, 2010)
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