Abstract
Peak experiences are joyous and fulfilling moments in life, and thought to be associated with happiness and well-being. However,
whether peak experiences vary from culture to culture is still under-researched. The current study investigated the autobiographical
memories of peak experiences in Portugal and China. College students from Portugal and Mainland China (N = 161) reported their memory of a peak-experience occurring before the age of 14 and provided a self-rating on its enduring
impact. We found that participants from Portugal reported peak-experiences involving a developmental landmark more frequently
than did Mainland Chinese. In contrast, Mainland Chinese reported peak-experiences involving serenity more frequently than
did Portuguese participants. Although Mainland Chinese provided more details about their peak-experiences, their narratives
were more generic and emotionally mild. In particular, memory specificity (specific vs. general) significantly mediated the
association between culture and developmental landmark, whereas memory emotionality (low arousal emotions) significantly mediated
the link between culture and serenity. This study extends previous research on youthful peak-experiences to a cross-cultural
context by incorporating measures of autobiographical memory to analyze variations between these two cultural groups.
whether peak experiences vary from culture to culture is still under-researched. The current study investigated the autobiographical
memories of peak experiences in Portugal and China. College students from Portugal and Mainland China (N = 161) reported their memory of a peak-experience occurring before the age of 14 and provided a self-rating on its enduring
impact. We found that participants from Portugal reported peak-experiences involving a developmental landmark more frequently
than did Mainland Chinese. In contrast, Mainland Chinese reported peak-experiences involving serenity more frequently than
did Portuguese participants. Although Mainland Chinese provided more details about their peak-experiences, their narratives
were more generic and emotionally mild. In particular, memory specificity (specific vs. general) significantly mediated the
association between culture and developmental landmark, whereas memory emotionality (low arousal emotions) significantly mediated
the link between culture and serenity. This study extends previous research on youthful peak-experiences to a cross-cultural
context by incorporating measures of autobiographical memory to analyze variations between these two cultural groups.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Research Paper
- Pages 1-13
- DOI 10.1007/s10902-012-9323-9
- Authors
- Man Yee Ho, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
- Sylvia Xiaohua Chen, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
- Edward Hoffman, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA
- Yanjun Guan, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
- Valentina Iversen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Journal Journal of Happiness Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-7780
- Print ISSN 1389-4978