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

Abstract

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.

Couple conflict observed: Emotions in Belgium and Japan.

“…OBSERVED EMOTIONS ACROSS CULTURES Japanese couples. The Japanese focus on emotions as acts between people rather than as private, mental states may explain why behaviors are more diagnostic of relationship outcomes in Japan than are reported emotional experiences (Uchida et al, 2022). Contrary to our expectations, however, we found that culturally typical emotions observed in Belgian couples were associated with lower conflict resolution.…”

“…This was in contrast with our earlier research (see Boiger et al, 2022), which failed to find an association between cultural fit in emotional experiences and relationship satisfaction in Japanese couples. The Japanese focus on emotions as acts between people rather than as private, mental states may explain why behaviors are more diagnostic of relationship outcomes in Japan than are reported emotional experiences (Uchida et al, 2022). Contrary to our expectations, however, we found that culturally typical emotions observed in Belgian couples were associated with lower conflict resolution.…”

Examining situational differences in momentary emotion differentiation and emotional clarity in everyday life.

“…In addition, our study was conducted in the United States, so our results might not generalize beyond similar Western cultures. In cultures that are more interdependent than the United States, emotion experiences are expected to arise predominantly from social contexts and collective, shared situations (Uchida et al, 2022). We expect that aspects of the social context may be more strongly tied to momentary emotion differentiation and emotional clarity among individuals socialized in more interdependent cultures compared to participants in the present study.…”

Quantifying social performance: A review with implications for further work

“…Recent work has shown the importance of assessing and testing the social interaction performance of dyads rather than individuals ( Goldring and Bolger, 2022 ). Ample evidence also exists to demonstrate that emotions, including mood and affect, are experiences with inherently interactive aspects (e.g., Uchida et al, 2022 ). Future work focused on the assessment of social performance as an expertise will benefit from examining the ways in which social performance (a) varies across social contexts in tandem with (b) specific interactions and interactional partners.…”