title: Influencing and adjusting in daily emotional situations: a comparison of European and Asian American action styles.
abstract: Emotions are for action, but action styles in emotional episodes may vary across cultural contexts. Based on culturally different models of agency, we expected that those who engage in European-American contexts will use more influence in emotional situations, while those who engage in East-Asian contexts will use more adjustment. European-American (N=60) and Asian-American (N=44) college students reported their action style during emotional episodes four times a day during a week. Asian Americans adjusted more than European Americans, whereas both used influence to a similar extent. These cultural differences in action style varied across types of emotion experienced. Moreover, influencing was associated with life satisfaction for European Americans, but not for Asian Americans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. michael.boiger@psy.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boiger
authors.forename: Batja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Annie Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Hazel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Markus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D012917:Social Adjustment; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*