Current theorizing on socioeconomic status (SES) focuses on the availability of resources and the freedom they afford as a key determinant of the association between high SES and stronger orientation toward the self and, by implication, weaker orientation toward others. However, this work relies nearly exclusively on data from Western countries where self-orientation is strongly sanctioned. In the present work, we predicted and found that especially in East Asian countries, where other-orientation is strongly sanctioned, high SES is associated with stronger other-orientation as well as with self-orientation. We first examined both psychological attributes (Study 1, N = 2,832) and socialization values (Study 2a, N = 4,675) in Japan and the United States. In line with the existent evidence, SES was associated with greater self-oriented psychological attributes and socialization values in both the U.S. and Japan. Importantly, however, higher SES was associated with greater other orientation in Japan, whereas this association was weaker or even reversed in the United States. Study 2b (N = 85,296) indicated that the positive association between SES and self-orientation is found, overall, across 60 nations. Further, Study 2b showed that the positive association between SES and other-orientation in Japan can be generalized to other Confucian cultures, whereas the negative association between SES and other-orientation in the U.S. can be generalized to other Frontier cultures. Implications of the current findings for modernization and globalization are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Emerging evidence on cultural differences in health implications of emotions suggests that the cultural fit of emotions (i.e., accordance with culturally normative and prevalent patterns of emotions) is associated with better health. However, the mechanisms underlying the links between culture, emotions, and health are not clear. In this paper, we propose a psychosocial resources model of cultural fit as an integrative framework to guide the future work in this area.Following the review of cultural differences in emotions, we next review the accumulating evidence showing that culture modulates the link between emotions and health in such a way that the cultural fit of emotions positively predicts health. We then propose that psychosocial resources (e.g., resilience, meaning in life, and social support) play an important role in linking the cultural fit of emotions to health. The psychosocial resources model proposes that the emotion-health link is modulated and sustained via the relevance of emotions to resources and coping in a given cultural context. The model is supported by a line of research suggesting the role of cultural fit in the attainment of resources and another line of research showing the importance of psychosocial resources in health.Lastly, future directions will be discussed for research incorporating culture into the study of emotion and health.

Positive affect (PA) has been associated with better physical health. While PA is highly desirable among Westerners, East Asians tend to deemphasize PA. The present study examined the relations of PA with serum lipid profiles, known to be strongly predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and further tested whether the associations depend on cultural contexts using large probability samples of Japanese and U.S adult populations. As predicted, PA was associated with healthier lipid profiles for Americans, but not for Japanese. Further analyses showed that this cultural moderation was mediated by body mass index. The study highlights the role of culture in the link between positive emotions and key biological risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Previous studies have shown that positive affect and social connectedness predict better health in the U.S. However, the relevance of such findings for other cultural contexts has been largely ignored. The present study investigated the interplay of positive affect, social connectedness, and health using large probability samples of Japanese and U.S. adults. Health was measured objectively with biomarkers that represent restorative functioning: HDL (high-density lipid) and DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate). Lower levels of both biomarkers (i.e., less healthy biomarker profile) were found among those in Japan who reported high positive affect in combination with low social connectedness. In the U.S, the general pattern was that those with greater positive affect showed healthier HDL levels regardless of social connectedness. The findings highlight cultural variations in the health implications of how positive affect and social connectedness come together.

Feeling good is linked to better health in Western contexts. Recent studies show, however, that the affect-health link is not consistent across cultures. We suggest two reasons for such inconsistency. The first follows from research showing that North American (versus East Asian) cultures tend to value high arousal positive (HAP) states, e.g., excited, more than low arousal positive (LAP) states, e.g., calm. The second is one we propose for the first time. Positive affective experience is manifest in internal feelings but also in affective practices such as taking a bath (a highly valued affective experience in Japan) or a fitness workout (a highly valued affective experience in the U.S.). We hypothesized that the HAP feelings/practices-health link would be stronger in the U.S. versus Japan, and the LAP feelings/practices-health link would be stronger in Japan versus the U.S.. Using survey samples from the U.S. (N = 640) and Japan (N = 382), we examined how health outcomes are shaped by positive affective feelings and practices varying in arousal. In a first set of analyses, HAP feelings predicted better physical and biological health in the U.S. but not in Japan. No cultural differences were consistently found for the effect of LAP feelings on health. In addition, engaging in HAP practices predicted better physical and biological health in the U.S.