It is convenient for us to believe that emotions are biologically embedded, but upcoming research suggests that our environment and culture also play a role in our emotional experiences. In other words, people from different cultures might experience the same emotion differently. Cultures determine how emotions are felt and expressed and shape the way people should feel in given contexts.
This happens because of the different social structures of every nation in terms of considering the 'self'. Western nations are considered 'individualistic' while Asian nations are considered 'collectivist'. It means that individualistic cultures promote independence, personal identity and free expression. In contrast, collectivist cultures promote interdependence, unity, and selflessness.
In western cultures, the 'self' is believed to be independent of others and focuses on high-arousal emotions (afraid, annoyed, excited, enthusiastic, elated, joyful). In collectivist cultures, the 'self' is considered interdependent on others, takes into account other people while experiencing and expressing emotions, and focuses on low-arousal emotions (calm, bored, helpless, peaceful, satisfied, sluggish). Since people in western cultures try to influence others, high-arousal emotions function better, but in eastern culture, the focus is on adjusting and conforming to others, which is why low-arousal emotions work better, and at times feeling high-arousal emotions might even be considered harmful.
Let's consider a 'universal' emotion: 'happiness', and understand how it might differ across cultures. Since happiness is such a natural emotion, we might think its expression and experience might not vary between Asian and western cultures. You should feel equally happy about getting your dream job, whether you are an East Asian or North American. But the growing body of cultural studies presents a different story.
An interesting study that compared American and Japanese participants on happiness and unhappiness found that Japanese people defined happiness as experiencing low-arousal positive emotions. In contrast, American people defined happiness as experiencing high-arousal positive emotions. Japanese were more likely to associate happiness with 'social harmony,' and Americans associated it with 'personal achievement.' It's also interesting to note that in many Asian cultures, happiness (or other positive emotions) might not necessarily mean 'good'; it can also indicate social disharmony. Many studies show that East Asians can simultaneously hold positive and negative feelings during a positive event, as they value a greater balance between the ends. Whereas North Americans usually focus on wanting to experience more positive and less negative emotions. Thus, relative to Westerners, East Asians feel less intense positive affect in positive situations because of the co-occurrence of greater negative affect.
The rationale behind Asians’ tendency toward moderation over maximization can be found stemming from the Buddhist belief that pure pleasantness either leads to suffering or is impossible to obtain. So, it suggests that in positive situations, Asians may "find the bad in the good" more than European Americans. In contrast, both Asians and European Americans seem to "find the good in the bad" in negative situations.
In line with these narratives, it has been suggested that since individualistic cultures focus on 'self', they have a more consistent self-view, indicating that they possess clearer self-knowledge and have self-experiences that are less affected by the perspectives of others. This makes it easier for them to have a direct experience of happiness. On the contrary, Asians focus on the 'self in context to the social environment', making them more socially oriented. This calls for behaving and experiencing things while considering themselves and the others around them, which often promotes dialectic thinking when it comes to experiencing happiness.
Similarly, the pursuit of happiness also differs across cultures naturally because their perception differs. In countries like China, Taiwan and Japan, people might not actively strive for happiness because of the fear that it will be accompanied by misfortune, or having too much happiness might lead to punishment. In countries like France, Norway and Germany, happiness is considered a mere chance; therefore, people might not have any reason to pursue it. But in America, people see happiness as a human right worthy of pursuing as a goal.
Hence, as global citizens, it becomes crucial for us to be considerate, respectful, and informed about the practices and rituals of other cultures. It would allow us to communicate, understand and relate to other members from across the world with empathy and a sense of connectedness.
Arushi Srivastava
