Interdependence of emotion: Conceptualization, evidence, and social implications from cultural psychology

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. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

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

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. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Current Directions in Psychological Science is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Editorial: Culture and Health

As this special issue demonstrates, evidence on culture and health is emerging in a variety of new frameworks, including international comparisons, national analyses, individual health, and population health. In the opening invited article, Miyamoto and Ryff (2022), two leading researchers in the field of culture and health, showed the theoretical and empirical relationships between culture and health. With a growing body of evidence for cultural influences on health, the pandemic will hasten progress toward health research taking insights from a cultural psychological approach. The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which presents a worldwide threat to humans, has focused people's attention on health and prompted the adoption of new behaviors to decrease infection risks. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Japanese Psychological Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)