In today's blog post, we'll explore three research studies that examine the impact of culture on romantic relationships. The results of the first study support the idea that culture shapes communication patterns. These studies focus on individuals of European American heritage and Chinese students.
European Americans are reporting a higher usage of direct communication in positive situations, whereas Chinese participants have a preference for direct communication in negative situations. (Ge et al., 2022). Direct communication expresses feelings clearly, while indirect communication can be ambiguous.
Likewise, negative situations are discussions that could potentially hurt your partner's feelings, and positive situations refer to positive encounters.
The second study is a replica of the first study, but the method used to report the data was different. In this study, we see that Chinese participants generally prefer indirect communication, especially in negative situations. On the other hand, European Americans, prefer direct communication in positive situations but opt for indirect communication in negative situations, due to concerns about potentially hurting their partner's feelings.
The last study supports the cultural-fit hypothesis, which states that someone will experience more satisfaction if they perceive that their partner is using their culturally preferred communication style. This leads us to believe that Americans anticipate an increase in relationship satisfaction when their partners use direct communication, while Chinese participants anticipate an increase when their partners use indirect communication.
Additionally, in the first study, researchers present participants with seven hypothetical scenarios depicting both positive and negative romantic situations. Instances, such as how they will communicate about their partner's lack of affection.
But a limitation of the first study was that the two groups used different rating scales. (Ge et al., 2022). The American respondents used an electric slider scale, which ranges from 1 to 7, with 1 being Not at all likely and 7 Very likely. Whereas the Chinese participants' responses are on a 9-point scale, 1 being Not at all likely and 9 being Very likely but on paper.
The participants in the first study are 116 Chinese undergraduates at a Chinese university and 380 European American students at an American university.
Researchers use the RRCS (Romantic Relationship Communication Style Scale) to test a population pool of 186 European Americans and 116 Chinese undergraduates in the second study.
The RRCS includes ten positive and thirteen negative questions targeting directness in romantic relationships, ranking from 1 Not at all to 7 Very well.
Asking questions such as whether individuals openly express affection or adopt a more subtle approach when disagreeing with their partner.
From the results of the studies, the authors believe that self-independence or interdependence influences communication styles. In Western cultures, people often communicate directly to prioritize personal freedom and individual benefits, whereas East Asian cultures emphasize interdependence. (Ge et al., 2022). The cultivation of community guides the use of indirect communication in East Asian communities.
Due to the lack of research on cultural communication in romantic relationships, the authors propose three predictions and a hypothesis for the study. First, acknowledging cultural directness, it is likely that positive romantic situations (complimenting your partner, etc.) will provide higher cultural directness and negative situations (arguments, etc.) will provide a lower amount.
The cultural-fit hypothesis guides the researchers' next predictions. They infer that Westerners will see direct communication as advantageous because it aligns with their cultural value of personal independence, while East Asians will see indirect communication as more suitable, reflecting their values of maintaining interdependence (Ge et al., 2022). The authors also anticipate greater relationship satisfaction when a partner imagines their partner using their preferred communication style.
This study by Fiona Ge and her colleagues was important in highlighting how cultural norms change communication patterns. The preference for direct and indirect communication in romantic situations will depend on how independent or interdependent each partner is. Imagine your partner has developed a habit that you find provoking. Will you use direct or indirect communication? Comment down below!
P.S Click this link to read the full article.
Reference
Ge, F., Park, J., & Pietromonaco, P. R. (2022). How You Talk About It Matters: Cultural Variation in Communication Directness in Romantic Relationships. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(6), 583–602. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221221088934
so interesting and super important for anyone living outside of their home country!