Do people feel that their personal values are better than others, even though they are happier if their values are similar to those around them? We examined the Better Than Average (BTA) effect in values in four cultures (Study 1: USA, China and Malaysia; Study 2: USA, using diverse online panel samples) and relative to either a more abstract (university) or a more concrete (department) reference group (Study 3, conducted with students in Israel). Across all samples and cultures, we found that people perceived their personally desired values as more important to the self than to others, and they perceived their less personally desired values as more important to others than to the self. Self-other comparisons favouring the self were even stronger for values that are normatively desired in society, and self-other comparisons favouring others were even stronger for values that are less normatively desired in society. We also found a relatively greater BTA effect towards a more abstract group and its positive consequences to self-esteem. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of value perception as prone to biases, generalizability and robustness of the BTA effect, and cross-cultural psychology. We discuss important societal implications of this effect.

This study investigates cross-cultural and cross-linguistic vocal emotion recognition by testing American English and French listeners (Listener Language) listening to vocal emotions produced in Dutch and Korean (Speaker Language). Both listener groups recognized all emotions above chance, except for Pride in Korean by American English listeners (0.08), thereby supporting the Universality hypothesis (Elfenbein, H. A. 2013. Nonverbal dialects and accents in facial expressions of emotion. Emotion Review 5(1). 90-96). However, we did not find consistent patterns for Cultural Proximity (Elfenbein, H. A. & N. Ambady 2003a. Cultural similarity's consequences: A distance perspective on cross-cultural differences in emotion recognition. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 34(1). 92-110, 2002b. On the universality and cultural specificity of emotion recognition: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 128(2). 203-235), as both groups of listeners performed similarly on average in both recordings. Likewise, the Prosodic Proximity hypothesis was not supported by our data, since French listeners did not outperform American English listeners in recognizing emotions in Korean, although French and Korean obviously share basic prosodic structures. Instead, the effect of culture and language was emotion-specific, varying across Speaker Language and/or Listener Language. Additionally, despite the significant impact of the emotional dimensions of arousal, valence, and basicness on recognition accuracy, these dimensions did not consistently predict accuracy, since individual emotions deviated from the general patterns of accuracy due to emotion-specific features. Together, these findings provide a more nuanced perspective on the relative contributions of universality, culture, language, and emotional dimensions to cross-cultural emotion recognition, especially for listeners unfamiliar with the target language.

Courage is often central to rights seeking. Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics and socio-psychological perspectives, this qualitative study examines how Turkish lawyers interpret and manage clients’ courage, from cowardice to recklessness, during litigation. Semi-structured written interviews with 46 practising lawyers were analysed thematically in MAXQDA24. Participants largely saw courage as pivotal to sustaining claims, especially when supported by education, financial resources, and robust social ties. Social pressure and reputational risks frequently dampened courage, prompting early withdrawal. Lawyers portrayed cowardly clients as anxious and hesitant, courageous clients as calibrated risk-takers, and reckless clients as bold but imprudent, and tailored their guidance, accordingly, offering reassurance, structure, or caution. Situating these dynamics within Türkiye’s collectivist, high-uncertainty-avoidant context, the study advances cross-cultural legal psychology and highlights the value of emotional intelligence and mental health awareness in legal practice.

This data paper presents a dataset, of 12,361 observations compiled from the Happiness Meanders project, which explores cultural variations in individual and family well-being, ideal and actual happiness, emotional experiences and expressions, and cultural models of selfhood across 48 countries. Participants were recruited through academic networks. Data were collected using standardised scales, including the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Interdependent Happiness Scale, the Cultural Models of Selfhood Scale, and the Emotional Experience and Expression inspired by Affect Valuation Index. The dataset underwent thorough technical validation, including checks for variable consistency, handling missing data, and identifying potential response biases. A filter for data quality was applied, with potentially unreliable data flagged for exclusion. This dataset offers a valuable resource for examining cultural influences on emotional dynamics (frequence of experience and expression), individual and family oriented evaluations of happiness, ideal and actual evaluation of happiness, cultural models of selfhood, and can support further research in cross-cultural psychology and related social sciences.

This research comprehensively examined regional variations in individualism and collectivism within China and the explanatory power of 20 potential factors derived from the existing cultural psychological theories, including socioecological (e.g., climates, subsistence activities, and modernization) and population (e.g., ethnicity, genetic and linguistic features) ones. Three large-scale studies were conducted. In Study 1 ( N = 18,606), we assessed 11 markers of individualism-collectivism. In Studies 2 and 3, we evaluated whether the main findings of Study 1 could be replicated in two large community samples ( N = 8,167 and 20,590, respectively) when perceived cultures of individualism and collectivism were considered and when the pandemic of COVID-19 was going on, respectively. Three studies consistently showed that (1) systematic East-West differences in individualism and collectivism existed, with higher individualism and lower collectivism in Eastern China than in Western China; meanwhile, there was some suggestive evidence of North-South differences, with higher individualism and lower collectivism in Southern China than in Northern China; (2) among the predictive socioecological (e.g., pathogen prevalence, modernization) and population factors (e.g., ethnicity, genetic and linguistic relatedness), modernization was the most potent and robust predictor of individualism and collectivism; (3) regional cultural variations often arose from the combined influences of multiple factors; and (4) the evidence supported most existing theories about the sources of cultural variation, with a few exceptions (e.g., the rice theory). These findings provide novel insights into regional cultural variations and the applicability of many relevant theories within China, and also shed light on cross-cultural psychology in general.

This study aims to describe the portrayal of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Sigmund Freud’s tripartite personality structure within the characters of Valerie Patkar’s novel Luka Cita. Employing a descriptive qualitative method, the research used documentation for data collection, with the novel as the primary source. Data were analyzed through content analysis to identify and interpret the relevant psychological constructs. The analysis confirms the presence of both theoretical frameworks. All five stages of Maslow’s needs physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization are gradually fulfilled by the characters. Simultaneously, the interaction of Freud’s id, ego, and superego structures forms the internal conflicts driving character development. The research provides a novel, dual-theory psycho-literary analysis of a contemporary Indonesian novel, concurrently applying Maslow’s humanistic and Freud’s psychodynamic theories to interpret character motivation and conflict. The study demonstrates a replicable framework for literary criticism, enabling educators and scholars to conduct structured psychological analyses of character development in narrative fiction. It contributes to cross-cultural literary psychology by validating the applicability of these foundational Western psychological theories to modern Indonesian literature, enriching the interpretation of its thematic depth and character complexity.

A cross-cultural psychology perspective on youth interpersonal aggression.

The increasing reliance on culturally diverse teams, particularly in digitally connected and globally distributed workplaces, has intensified scholarly and practical interest in the leadership capabilities required to transform diversity into a source of performance advantage. Despite strong theoretical arguments supporting the benefits of diversity, empirical findings remain inconsistent, reflecting what is often described as the diversity-performance paradox. This narrative review synthesizes cross-disciplinary research on cultural intelligence (CQ) and leadership effectiveness to examine how leaders facilitate communication and multilevel performance outcomes in multicultural teams operating in both co-located and technology-mediated environments. Drawing on literature from leadership studies, cross-cultural psychology, and team communication research, the review positions cultural intelligence as a central leadership capability encompassing metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral dimensions. The synthesis indicates that the influence of leader CQ on performance is largely indirect, operating through key communication mechanisms including psychological safety, adaptive communication, conflict regulation, and trust. These processes shape outcomes at multiple levels, influencing individual engagement, team coordination and innovation, and broader organizational performance. The review further identifies contextual moderators such as cultural distance, power distance orientation, and interaction modality, including virtual collaboration platforms and digitally mediated communication. By integrating previously fragmented research streams, the paper develops a communication-centered, multilevel conceptual framework explaining how culturally intelligent leadership enables diverse teams to translate cultural differences into collaborative and performance advantages. The framework provides theoretical integration and practical guidance for leadership development in increasingly multicultural, digitally mediated, and globally distributed work environments.

Cross-cultural moral psychology requires robust, validated measures. The Moral Foundations Questionnaire-2 (MFQ-2) is a recent revision of the original MFQ that offers improved assessment of moral intuitions; however, a validated German version is unavailable, limiting moral psychology research in German-speaking populations. This Stage 1 Registered Report Protocol describes the methodology for developing and psychometrically validating a German version of the MFQ-2, with a target sample size of N ≈ 1,200. Its primary aim is to assess the instrument’s factor structure using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling/Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability and measurement invariance. A secondary aim is to provide initial construct validity by examining associations with psycho-social correlates, including political ideology, religiosity, personality, and ethics positions. We will test whether theoretically predicted patterns emerge in the German context. By providing a methodologically validated tool, this research will enable investigation of moral belief structures in German-speaking countries and facilitate cross-cultural comparisons in moral psychological science.

Cross-cultural moral psychology requires robust, validated measures. The Moral Foundations Questionnaire-2 (MFQ-2) is a recent revision of the original MFQ that offers improved assessment of moral intuitions; however, a validated German version is unavailable, limiting moral psychology research in German-speaking populations. This Stage 1 Registered Report Protocol describes the methodology for developing and psychometrically validating a German version of the MFQ-2, with a target sample size of N ≈ 1,200. Its primary aim is to assess the instrument's factor structure using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling/Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability and measurement invariance. A secondary aim is to provide initial construct validity by examining associations with psycho-social correlates, including political ideology, religiosity, personality, and ethics positions. We will test whether theoretically predicted patterns emerge in the German context. By providing a methodologically validated tool, this research will enable investigation of moral belief structures in German-speaking countries and facilitate cross-cultural comparisons in moral psychological science.

This theoretical essay integrates critical perspectives on cross-cultural psychology, the concept of human mobility, and a policy implementation model to propose a renewed framework for professional practice. Starting from the recognition of cultural diversity as a fundamental reality (Matsumoto & Juang, 2004), the article examines criticisms of Western bias and "intellectual extractivism" in the field (Anjum & Aziz, 2024; Henrich et al., 2010). It is argued that adopting the term "mobility", rather than "migration", offers a more fluid and less charged lens for understanding human displacement and its psychological impacts (Cresswell, 2006). Next, Secchi's public policy model (Abad, 2017) is used as a framework to operationalize the implementation of the APA Multicultural Guidelines (2017), promoting epistemic justice and practical competence. It is concluded that a relevant and ethical cross-cultural psychology must be anti-colonial, sensitive to power and mobility dynamics, and committed to structured processes of institutional change.

Across cultures and generations, humans have continuously sought to understand their place in time: where they come from, who they are, and what role they play in shaping the future. Despite extensive research on psychological needs, dominant theories of motivation—Self-Determination Theory (SDT)—have focused primarily on present-oriented interpersonal and intrapersonal contexts. In this review, we introduce the Historical Psychological Need Satisfaction Model (HPNSM), a novel framework that embeds the three core psychological needs of SDT—relatedness, competence, and autonomy—into individuals’ historical self-construal. We propose three corresponding constructs: historical belongingness (a sense of connection to a transgenerational historical community), historical self-efficacy (the belief that one can make a difference in history), and historical agency (the capacity to choose and author one’s historical commitments). We review relevant theoretical and empirical literature on historical identity, collective memory, and sociotemporal motivation, and argue that historical experiences can serve as meaningful sources of psychological need satisfaction. We discuss how HPNSM can inform research on youth civic engagement, national identity, intergenerational transmission, and cross-cultural psychology. By bridging individual motivation with cultural-historical context, this model advances a temporally expanded understanding of psychological needs and opens new avenues for research in identity, meaning, and societal development.

BackgroundIn the multi-ethnic regions of China’s Xizang Plateau and its border areas, higher education not only shoulders the task of cultivating talent but also faces the dual challenges of promoting cultural understanding and ethnic unity. Labor education, as a crucial form of experiential learning, is considered a key mechanism for fostering students’ sense of responsibility, identity, and cultural adaptability. However, the underlying psycho-social-cultural mechanisms remain under-researched.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore how labor education in Xizang universities promotes the internalization of responsibility, the construction of identity, and cross-cultural adaptation among students, while analyzing the mediating and guiding role of teachers between institutional governance and cultural inclusivity.MethodsDrawing upon theories of experiential learning, identity formation, and educational equity, this study employed a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 participants (undergraduate, postgraduate, teachers, and experts) from universities in Xizang and surrounding plateau regions. The research followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis method, identifying core themes and mechanisms through open, axial, and selective coding.ResultsThe analysis yielded four key findings: (1) Students exhibited emotional resistance to excessive management while rationally acknowledging institutional order; (2) Labor education facilitated the psychological internalization of responsibility and the formation of cultural belonging through embodied experiences; (3) The role of teachers shifted from “managers” to “cultural mediators” and “growth guides,” bridging understanding between tradition and modernity; (4) A structural disconnect exists between national policies and local practices, necessitating the establishment of flexible, feedback-oriented educational governance mechanisms.ConclusionThis study reconceptualizes labor education as a socio-educational governance mechanism that fosters identity integration, social cohesion, and emotional resilience. It reveals the psychological pathways through which experiential learning transforms individual and collective identities within multicultural educational contexts. The research offers novel theoretical perspectives for the fields of cross-cultural psychology and educational psychology, along with practical implications for educational reform in multi-ethnic regions.

HRMARS - Teachers in Indigenous schools face significant challenges, including cultural dissonance, resource constraints, and isolation, which threaten their well-being and effectiveness. Psychological Capital (PsyCap), comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is a vital resource for mitigating these adversities. This study validates the dimensionality of the PsyCap instrument for teachers in Malaysian Indigenous schools, addressing a critical gap in its application to this unique context. A survey of 309 educators was analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis in SmartPLS 4. Results demonstrated an excellent model fit (CFI = .943, RMSEA = .048, SRMR = .041), strong reliability, and robust validity, confirming the stability of the four-factor structure. This study provides the first validated evidence of PsyCap’s structural validity within an Indigenous school context, a novel contribution to cross-cultural positive psychology. The findings confirm PsyCap as both a universal and contextually relevant construct. Practically, this instrument provides administrators with a reliable tool to diagnose and enhance teachers' psychological resources. It enables the development of targeted interventions to foster resilience and well-being, offering a strategic approach to improve teacher retention and effectiveness, ultimately supporting more equitable educational outcomes for Indigenous communities.

This study examines the complex interplay between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation among Chinese female college students within China's collectivistic context, examining affective balance as a mediator and expressive suppression as a culturally contingent moderator. A cross-sectional design was employed with 2,280 female undergraduates from 11 universities across eight Chinese provinces. Participants completed validated measures, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by conducting moderated mediation analysis with bootstrapping procedures to test the hypothesized pathways. Affective balance significantly mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation (indirect effect = 0.12, 95% CI [0.08, 0.16]). Expressive suppression moderated this mediation pathway, with higher levels of suppression attenuating the adverse effects of childhood maltreatment on affective balance (interaction effect = -0.09, p < 0.01). The protective buffering effect was particularly pronounced at moderate to low levels of childhood trauma. Consistent with prior cross-cultural psychology research, the present findings substantiate the adaptive role of expressive suppression in China's collectivistic cultural context. Rather than challenging Western emotion regulation models, this study extends the existing evidence by demonstrating context-specific patterns of emotion regulation among Chinese participants. These results underscore the importance of incorporating cultural variability into models of emotion regulation and suggest that culturally informed approaches are essential for understanding emotional adjustment and mental health across societies.

The widespread use of augmented reality (AR) beauty filters has been linked to body image concerns, yet little research addresses their impact in contexts where beauty is deeply entwined with moral and cultural norms. This study introduces the enhanced appearance identity conflict (EAIC) framework to explain how AR filter use generates psychological and cultural tensions beyond appearance dissatisfaction. A survey of Moroccan social media users (N = 420) tested four hypotheses connecting perceived social pressure, identity conflict, self-comparison, filter reliance, and the emotional outcomes of guilt and perfection fatigue. Results revealed a sequential pathway: social pressure predicted identity conflict, which increased self-comparison, leading to greater filter reliance and, ultimately, heightened guilt and perfection fatigue. These findings extend existing theories of self-discrepancy and social self-comparison by demonstrating that AR filters can function as moralized self-presentation technologies in value-laden societies. EAIC provides a conceptual basis for examining how digital beauty practices intersect with cultural identity, opening new directions for cross-cultural media psychology.

This study explores the psychological drivers of participation in the sharing economy through a cross-cultural lens, comparing consumer behavior in the United States and China. Drawing on the value-attitude-behavior hierarchy theory and the theory of reasoned action, we investigate how utilitarian, hedonic, and symbolic values shape attitudes, norms, and behavioral intentions in the context of collaborative consumption. Data were collected through online surveys from 302 participants in the U.S. and 305 in China and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Our findings reveal both similarities and differences in how personal values influence consumer decision-making. While utilitarian and hedonic values positively affect attitudes in both countries, symbolic value does not. Norms play culturally distinct roles: in the U.S., subjective norms are more predictive of intention, whereas in China, personal norms exert a stronger influence. These results underscore the need for culturally adaptive strategies in the design and marketing of sharing economy platforms. The study contributes to cross-cultural consumer psychology by clarifying how values and norms shape collaborative consumption across distinct cultural contexts.

Religion has long been recognised as a central dimension of culture, yet no dedicated framework exists to quantify the cultural distance between religions. Existing models, such as Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, the GLOBE study, and Inglehart and Welzel’s cultural map, primarily focus on cross-national differences and treat religion as a single categorical variable. This study introduces a novel quantitative methodology for measuring cultural distance between religions by adapting the Cultural Fixation Index (CFST), originally derived from population genetics to cultural and behavioural survey data. Using data from the seven waves of the World Values Survey (1981-2022), religious groups were compared across selected value dimensions corresponding to Traditional versus Secular-Rational and Survival versus Self-Expression values. Responses were normalised, grouped by religion, and analysed to produce pairwise CFST values and a composite distance matrix representing inter-religious variation. The methodology accounts for both between-group and within-group variance, ensuring that intra-religious diversity is preserved in the calculation. The results demonstrate that the CFST approach can identify statistically meaningful distinctions between religions based on belief, practice, and value orientations. This provides a replicable and data-driven framework for quantifying religious and cultural differences, enabling future research in comparative religion, cultural evolution, and cross-cultural psychology.

Neuroaesthetics has developed greatly in its understanding of aesthetic processing mechanisms in the brain, but current models are mostly based on European artistic traditions. This study aims to overcome this theoretical constraint by extending the aesthetic triad model framework that is more applicable to traditional Chinese artistic symbols. Using an integrative literature review in cognitive neuroscience, traditional Chinese aesthetic philosophy, and cross-cultural psychology, three culturally specific mechanisms are proposed, each extending one subsystem of the aesthetic triad: Embodied Calligraphic Resonance extends the perception-movement subsystem by incorporating motor simulation of brushstroke dynamics in calligraphy appreciation; Yijing Empathy extends the emotion-evaluation subsystem by capturing the holistic and transcendent emotional resonance particular to Chinese artistic conception; and Cultural Schema Activation extends the meaning-knowledge subsystem through the top-down activation of culturally specific knowledge structures. Unlike general semantic processing, these schemas are distinguished by the exceptional conceptual density of Chinese written symbols and the deep internalization of Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist philosophical frameworks as aesthetic evaluation criteria. The new framework proposes the addition of a cultural mediation level that connects individual-level cultural variables with system-level processing, which accounts for phenomena that existing models are unable to describe. The hypotheses are formulated for each mechanism and provide specific guidance for future research. This framework advances neuroaesthetics toward a culturally pluralistic perspective, with explicit grounding in the Chinese aesthetic tradition as an initial case for non-Western theoretical extension.

This mini-review synthesizes empirical and theoretical insights on how belief in free will and the just world hypothesis jointly shape moral judgment and health behavior. It examines whether changes in these agency-related beliefs systematically affect prosociality, responsibility attribution, blame, and compassion, both independently and interactively. Experimental findings indicate that diminishing belief in free will increases dishonesty and reduces empathy, while stronger just world beliefs are linked to victim-blaming, harsher moral judgment, and rationalization of inequality. The review also considers how these beliefs extend to health, where strong agency convictions can promote motivation, self-regulation, and healthier lifestyles, yet simultaneously heighten stigma toward individuals facing obesity, mental illness, or other health challenges. Drawing on cross-cultural and health psychology frameworks, the paper argues that culturally sensitive interventions are needed to harness the motivational benefits of agency while reducing blame, stigma, and exclusion in health and moral policy.