Ideal Affect: Cultural Causes and Behavioral Consequences
Abstract
Most research focuses on actual affect, or the affective states that people actually feel. In this article, I demonstrate the importance and utility of studying ideal affect, or the affective states that people ideally want to feel. First, I define ideal affect and describe the cultural causes and behavioral consequences of ideal affect. To illustrate these points, I compare American and East Asian cultures, which differ in their valuation of high-arousal positive affective states (e.g., excitement, enthusiasm) and low-arousal positive affective states (e.g., calm, peace-fulness). I then introduce affect valuation theory, which integrates ideal affect with current models of affect and emotion and, in doing so, provides a new framework for understanding how cultural and temperamental factors may shape affect and behavior.
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Through its institutions, meanings, and practices, culture accounts for a significant portion of the objective and symbolic macro- and micro-conditions that influence whether and how certain aspects of the self develop and are expressed.
“Through the institutions, meanings, and practices that comprise it, culture accounts for a significant portion of the objective and symbolic macro-and micro-conditions which influence whether and how certain aspects of the self develop and are expressed -for example, the value given to ego-focused traits such as self-esteem (Tsai, 2007), or whether self-disclosure and self-expression are normative”
From Self and identity in personality psychology (2021) · cites this paper as Tsai, 2007
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“Specifically, people from individualistic cultures tend to promote high arousal emotions such as excitement, while people from Eastern cultures tend to prefer more balanced and low arousal emotions such as calmness (Tsai, 2007).”
Background
- Authors
- Tsai, J. L.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tsai, Jeanne L.
- ORCID
- Tsai, Jeanne L.
- Venue
- Perspectives on Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-09
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 242-259
- ISSN
- 1745-6916 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-6924
- OpenAlex
- W2128365803
- Cited by
- 781
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 94 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 17.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Perspectives on Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- ideal affect, positive affect, affective states, cultural differences, emotions, temperament
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