Interdependence of Emotion: Conceptualization, Evidence, and Social Implications From Cultural Psychology

Abstract

People feel a wide range of emotions. In many psychological traditions, emotions are defined as primarily emerging from within the individual, even if influenced by external factors (e.g., approval from other people). This definition is consistent with an independent self-construal. However, in some contexts, emotions are understood to have more interdependent characteristics that can be shared with other people and that arise from social contexts and collective, shared situations. We define the lay theory of interdependence of emotion as the perception that emotional experience or its causes and consequences are shared with other people. Interdependence of emotion can be conceptualized along a spectrum, rather than as categorical. Additionally, the degree to which people understand emotions as interdependent likely varies by cultural context. In this article, we review studies that have investigated this lay theory of emotions across cultures, focusing on function. We suggest that people from non-WEIRD cultures (i.e., cultures that are not Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) are more likely than others to experience emotions as interdependent. Next, we highlight examples of this interdependence, focusing on two specific emotions: happiness and awe, which may have both independent and interdependent elements. The mechanisms and functions of the lay theory of interdependence of emotions are discussed using the example of a current collective threat, COVID-19.