Running Head: Affect, Culture and Self-Construals Feeling Badly Makes Us More Who We Are: Negative Affect Strengthens Culturally Consistent Self-Construals

Abstract

Research suggests that negative affect triggers a variety of cognitive and behavioral responses designed to re-affirm and strengthen one's sense of self. In the current research, four studies explored the hypothesis that negative affect would also intensify the expression of culture consistent self-construals. Using an implicit measure of self-construal (proximity seeking), Study 1 revealed that Western participants sat farther from a stranger when in a negative than a positive affective state. Study 2 found that the self-reported self-construals of Western participants became more independent when experiencing negative affect. Study 3 induced affect implicitly and demonstrated that participants' cultural background moderated the effect of affect of self-construals: The self-construals of Western participants became significantly more independent, but the self-construals of East Asian participants became significantly more interdependent when experiencing negative affect. Finally, Study 4 replicated this cultural difference using an implicit measure of self-construal. Implications for the interplay between affect, self-construal, and culture are discussed.