Compassion in Mexico and the United States: Unpacking Cultural Differences

Previous research indicates that cultural variations exist in conceptualizations of compassion, potentially attributable to the extent to which individuals in diverse cultural settings want to avoid (versus accept) feeling negative emotions and the significance they place on emotional sharing as a component of compassion. The present study investigates the conceptualization of compassion among individuals in Mexico and the United States, aiming to understand why these cultural differences occur. We hypothesized that Mexicans (1) would want to avoid feeling negative less, (2) would consequently regard emotion sharing as a more critical element of a compassionate response, and (3) would therefore conceptualize a compassionate face as one that mirrors sadness more and expresses happiness less compared to U.S. Americans. Participants from Mexico and the United States engaged in a reverse correlation task, selecting stimuli that most closely resembled a compassionate face. The selected images were aggregated and coded for the extent of sadness and happiness depicted. Additionally, participants indicated how much they wanted to avoid feeling negative and, by using an open-ended format, described what a compassionate response would entail in their view. These responses were coded for whether or not they focused on emotion sharing. Consistent with our hypotheses, Mexicans, who want to avoid feeling negative less compared to U.S. Americans, place greater importance on emotion sharing in a compassionate response. This variation is associated with Mexicans conceptualizing a compassionate face as one that portrays more sadness and less happiness compared to U.S. Americans. People in different cultural contexts have different views about what compassion might entail. Understanding and embracing these cultural differences in compassion can help us navigate our increasingly multicultural world, fostering more meaningful connections and guiding our actions with more humility and sensitivity.

既往研究表明，不同文化对慈悲共情（compassion）的概念化存在差异，这种差异可能源于不同文化背景下个体规避（相较于接纳）负面情绪的程度，以及他们将情绪分享视为慈悲共情组成部分的重视程度。本研究针对墨西哥与美国民众的慈悲共情概念化展开探究，旨在厘清这类文化差异的成因。我们提出三项研究假设：其一，墨西哥民众规避负面情绪的程度更低；其二，因此他们会将情绪分享视为慈悲回应更为关键的构成要素；其三，相较于美国民众，墨西哥民众会将慈悲面容概念化为更凸显悲伤、更少流露喜悦的形象。墨西哥与美国的参与者完成了一项反向相关任务，筛选出与慈悲面容最为匹配的刺激材料。研究人员对筛选出的图像进行汇总，并编码其呈现的悲伤与喜悦程度。此外，参与者需报告自身规避负面情绪的意愿程度，并以开放式问答形式阐述其心目中慈悲回应的内涵。研究人员对这些开放式回答进行编码，以判断其是否围绕情绪分享展开。研究结果与我们的假设一致：相较于美国民众，墨西哥民众规避负面情绪的程度更低，且更重视慈悲回应中的情绪分享要素。这种文化差异与墨西哥民众对慈悲面容的概念化特征相契合——相较于美国民众，墨西哥民众眼中的慈悲面容会更多传递悲伤、更少流露喜悦。不同文化背景的个体对慈悲共情的内涵持有不同见解。理解并接纳慈悲共情领域的这些文化差异，有助于我们在日益多元的文化世界中更好地适配，建立更具意义的人际联结，并以更为谦逊与共情的态度指导自身行为。