Emotion regulation and culture: are the social consequences of emotion suppression culture-specific?

Emotional suppression has been associated with generally negative social consequences (Butler et al., 2003; Gross & John, 2003). A cultural perspective suggests, however, that these consequences may be moderated by cultural values. We tested this hypothesis in a two-part study, and found that, f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmotion (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 30
Main Authors Butler, Emily A, Lee, Tiane L, Gross, James J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.02.2007
Subjects
Acculturation
Adult
Affect
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Culture
Ethnic Groups - psychology
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Repression, Psychology
Social Behavior
Social Control, Informal
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Summary:Emotional suppression has been associated with generally negative social consequences (Butler et al., 2003; Gross & John, 2003). A cultural perspective suggests, however, that these consequences may be moderated by cultural values. We tested this hypothesis in a two-part study, and found that, for Americans holding Western-European values, habitual suppression was associated with self-protective goals and negative emotion. In addition, experimentally elicited suppression resulted in reduced interpersonal responsiveness during face-to-face interaction, along with negative partner-perceptions and hostile behavior. These deleterious effects were reduced when individuals with more Asian values suppressed, and these reductions were mediated by cultural differences in the responsiveness of the suppressors. These findings suggest that many of suppression's negative social impacts may be moderated by cultural values.
ISSN:1528-3542
DOI:10.1037/1528-3542.7.1.30