Table_1_Perception and Evaluation of 23 Positive Emotions in Hong Kong and the Netherlands.DOCX

Positive emotions are linked to numerous benefits, but not everyone appreciates the same kinds of positive emotional experiences. We examine how distinct positive emotions are perceived and whether individuals’ perceptions are linked to how societies evaluate those emotions. Participants from Hong Kong and Netherlands rated 23 positive emotions based on their individual perceptions (positivity, arousal, and socially engaging) and societal evaluations (appropriate, valued, and approved of). We found that (1) there were cultural differences in judgments about all six aspects of positive emotions; (2) positivity, arousal, and social engagement predicted emotions being positively regarded at the societal level in both cultures; and (3) that positivity mattered more for the Dutch participants, although arousal and social engagement mattered more in Hong Kong for societal evaluations. These findings provide a granular map of the perception and evaluation of distinct positive emotions in two cultures and highlight the role of cultures in the understanding how positive emotions are perceived and evaluated.

积极情绪与诸多益处紧密相关，但并非所有人都对同类积极情绪体验持有相同的认可与偏好。本研究旨在探究不同类型积极情绪的感知模式，以及个体对积极情绪的感知是否与社会层面的情绪评价存在关联。研究招募来自中国香港与荷兰的被试，让其针对23种积极情绪完成两项维度的评分：其一为个体感知维度，包含积极度（positivity）、唤醒度（arousal）与社交卷入度（socially engaging）；其二为社会评价维度，包含适宜性（appropriate）、价值性（valued）与认可度（approved of）。研究结果显示：（1）两类文化群体在积极情绪六大维度的评判上均存在显著文化差异；（2）在两种文化背景下，积极度、唤醒度与社交卷入度均能正向预测社会层面对积极情绪的正向评价；（3）对于荷兰被试而言，积极度对社会评价的影响更为显著；而在中国香港被试中，唤醒度与社交卷入度对社会评价的预测力更强。本研究的发现为两种文化背景下不同积极情绪的感知与评价模式提供了精细化的全景图谱，并凸显了文化因素在人们对积极情绪的感知与评价过程中的关键作用。