Cross-Cultural Differences in Emotional Regulation

Abstract

This study investigates cross-cultural differences in emotional regulation by integrating quantitative, physiological, and qualitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of how cultural orientations shape the use and consequences of regulation strategies. A mixed-method experimental design was employed with participants from collectivist and individualist cultural backgrounds who completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), engaged with emotionally evocative stimuli, and participated in follow-up interviews. Quantitative analyses revealed that collectivist participants demonstrated significantly higher reliance on expressive suppression, while individualist participants engaged more frequently in cognitive reappraisal. Physiological measures indicated heightened skin conductance and heart rate variability among collectivist participants during suppression, though self-reported well-being was not adversely affected, suggesting cultural adaptation of this strategy. In contrast, individualist participants reported greater psychological benefits when employing reappraisal, consistent with cultural values emphasizing authenticity and autonomy. Regression modeling confirmed that cultural orientation and regulation strategy jointly predicted well-being outcomes, while thematic analysis of interviews showed that collectivists viewed suppression as a prosocial behavior aimed at maintaining harmony, whereas individualists framed reappraisal as an act of self-consistency. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the adaptiveness of emotion regulation strategies is not universal but contingent on cultural frameworks, highlighting that suppression can be socially functional in collectivist contexts while reappraisal aligns with individualist ideals of personal expression. The study advances theoretical models of emotional regulation by emphasizing its cultural embeddedness and offers practical implications for culturally sensitive psychological interventions, organizational practices, and intercultural communication.