Happiness and unhappiness in east and west: themes and variations
Abstract
Cultural folk models of happiness and unhappiness are likely to have important bearings on social cognition and social behavior. At present, however, little is known about the nature of these models. Here, the authors systematically analyzed American and Japanese participants' spontaneously produced descriptions of the two emotions and observed, as predicted, that whereas Americans associated positive hedonic experience of happiness with personal achievement, Japanese associated it with social harmony. Furthermore, Japanese were more likely than Americans to mention both social disruption and transcendental reappraisal as features of happiness. As also predicted, unlike happiness, descriptions of unhappiness included various culture-specific coping actions: Whereas Americans focused on externalizing behavior (e.g., anger and aggression), Japanese highlighted transcendental reappraisal and self-improvement. Implications for research on culture and emotion are discussed.
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Uchida and Kitayama found that unlike Americans, Japanese experience interpersonal harmony as an integral constituent of happiness.
“Indeed, a recent study by Uchida and Kitayama (2009) has shown that unlike Americans, Japanese experience interpersonal harmony as an integral constituent of happiness.”
From Cultural neuroscience of the self: understanding the social grounding of the brain (2010) · cites this paper as Uchida and Kitayama (2009)
One's understanding of emotions is dependent on one's cultural background; recognition of emotions is better between members of the same cultural group; perceiving and expressing emotions is determined by prevailing cultural models.
“evidence suggests that one's understanding of emotions is dependent on one's cultural background, that recognition of one's own and others' emotions is better between members of the same cultural group, 162 and that perceiving and expressing emotions is determined by the prevailing cultural models. 163”
From The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health (2024) · cites this paper as [163]
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“Indeed, a recent study by Uchida and Kitayama (2009) has shown that unlike Americans, Japanese experience interpersonal harmony as an integral constituent of happiness.”
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- Authors
- Uchida, Y., & Kitayama, S.
- Affiliations
- Kyoto University (JP)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Emotion
- Published
- 2009
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 441-456
- ISSN
- 1528-3542 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-1516
- OpenAlex
- W2044042249
- Cited by
- 612
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 70 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 19.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Emotion (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (BCS 0717982)
- National Institute on Aging
- Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (B: 20730411)
- University of Michigan
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Keywords
- happiness, unhappiness, cross-cultural emotion, emotion concepts, harmonious society, personal accomplishment, coping, anger and aggression, human development
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Emotions, Happiness, Humans, Internal-External Control, Japan, Social Behavior, Social Values, Students, United States, Self Efficacy, Young Adult
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