Is Perceived Emotional Support Beneficial? Well-Being and Health in Independent and Interdependent Cultures

TLDR

Previous studies have found little or no link between perceived emotional support and well‑being among European Americans. The authors hypothesized that this lack of benefit is specific to cultures that emphasize independence rather than interdependence. They compared Japanese and American adults in midlife on multiple well‑being and health indicators to test the cultural moderation hypothesis. The findings reveal that perceived emotional support predicts well‑being in Asian samples but not in Euro‑American samples, and that this cultural moderation persists across midlife adults, underscoring culture as a key moderator.

Abstract

Previous studies show there is little or no association between perceived emotional support and well-being in European American culture. The authors hypothesized that this paradoxical absence of any benefit of perceived support is unique to cultural contexts that privilege independence rather than interdependence of the self. Study 1 tested college students and found, as predicted, that among Euro-Americans a positive effect of perceived emotional support on subjective well-being (positive affect) was weak and, moreover, it disappeared entirely once self-esteem was statistically controlled. In contrast, among Asians in Asia (Japanese and Filipinos) perceived emotional support positively predicted subjective well-being even after self-esteem was controlled. Study 2 extended Study 1 by testing both Japanese and American adults in midlife with respect to multiple indicators of well-being and physical health. Overall, the evidence underscores the central significance of culture as a moderator of the effectiveness of perceived emotional support.