Culture, Interpersonal Perceptions, and Happiness in Social Interactions

Abstract

The authors examined cultural differences in interpersonal processes associated with happiness felt in social interactions. In a false feedback experiment (Study 1a), they found that European Americans felt happier when their interaction partner perceived their personal self accurately, whereas Asian Americans felt happier when their interaction partner perceived their collective self accurately. In Study 1b, the authors further demonstrated that the results from Study 1a were not because of cultural differences in desirability of the traits used in Study 1a. In Studies 2 and 3, they used a 2-week event sampling method and replicated Study 1. Unlike Asian Americans, African Americans were not significantly different from European Americans in the predictors of happiness in social interactions. Together, this research shows that interpersonal affirmation of important aspects of the self leads to happiness and that cultural differences are likely to emerge from the emphasis placed on different aspects of the self. Keywordsculture; happiness; positive affect; self Some social encounters leave one feeling pleasant, whereas others leave one feeling unpleasant. What predicts the affective outcome of social interactions? We report three studies that investigate this question in the context of culture and show that the predictors of affective outcome of social interactions vary systematically across cultures, depending on which aspects of the self are accurately perceived by an interaction partner. AFFECT IN INTERPERSONAL CONTEXTSSeveral theorists have proposed that affective outcomes of social interactions are predicted by the degree to which an individual feels understood by the interaction partner (e.g., Reis, Clark, & Holmes, 2004). This feeling, when it emerges as a result of the initial interaction, is in turn likely to shape the quality of future interactions. The importance of feeling understood is also widely recognized in the literature on psychotherapy, as a client who feels misunderstood at the first session is unlikely to continue the client-therapist relationship (Elliott & James, 1989). This suggests that the subjective feeling of being understood is an important factor in predicting affective outcomes of social interactions and in the formation of close relationships. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Shigehiro Oishi at Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400; e-mail: soishi@virginia.edu.. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptWhat causes the subjective feeling of being understood? In dating and marital relationship contexts, Murray, Holmes, Bellavia, Griffin, and Dolderman (2002) found that perceived similarity in personality and values was associated with a greater degree of felt understanding by the romantic partner, which in turn predicted relationship satisfaction. Aside from perceived similarity in personality and values, Reis and Patrick (1996) posited ...

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