Asian Americans respond less favorably to excitement (vs. calm)-focused physicians compared to European Americans.

Abstract

These findings suggest that while physicians who promote and emphasize excitement states may be effective with European Americans, they may be less so with Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities who value different affective states. (PsycINFO Database Record

Ideal affect in daily life: implications for affective experience, health, and social behavior

“…We have largely replicated these results in subsequent studies, although the mean levels of ideal HAP and ideal LAP for each cultural group vary across studies [19–22]. Similar differences have been found for other East Asian samples including Koreans and Japanese [23–25].…”

“…Second, they suggest that certain ideals (i.e., extreme happiness) may be detrimental to one’s health. In other research, we have also demonstrated how people’s ideal affect shapes their preferences for and evaluations of physicians, their adherence to physicians’ recommendations, and even their recall of physicians’ recommendations [22, 46, 47]. This work suggests that clinicians should also consider how patients’ ideal affect may influence how patients respond to them.…”

“…These cultural differences in ideal affect are related to broader cultural differences in independent vs. interdependent models of self [19, 22, 28]. Specifically, independent contexts emphasize influencing others (i.e., altering one’s environment so that it is consistent with one’s personal beliefs and preferences).…”

“…Consistent with this prediction, the more people value excited states, the more likely they are to choose stimulating (vs. soothing) consumer products (e.g., lotions, teas) and to engage in physically rigorous activities such as running (vs. walking) [33, 34]. At the cultural level, European Americans are more likely to choose exciting vs. calm music [19] and to respond more favorably to excitement (vs. calm)-focused physicians compared to Hong Kong Chinese [22]. …”

“…As mentioned above, in clinical settings, we have found that the more people value excited states, the more likely they are to choose but also to adhere to the recommendations of a physician who wants to help patients lead “dynamic” vs. “relaxed” lifestyles [47]. Indeed, compared to European Americans, Asian Americans respond less favorably to excitement vs. calm focused physicians: they are not only less likely to choose them, but also less likely to recall their recommendations and evaluate them positively [22]. …”