The association between emotion suppression and health of couple relationship among different cultures. Specifically Dutch/German and South Korean

Previous studies have shown that emotion suppression has been associated with negative social consequences. However, little research has been done in regards to romantic relationship and differences in culture (N = 29 Dutch/German; N = 22 South Korean). The present study examined the frequency of emotion suppression applied in daily life and compared the emotional, stress level, and relational outcome of Dutch/Germans and South Koreans. Although most outcomes in this study did not show significant results, it has been shown that Dutch/German participants rate lower frequency in emotion suppression than South Korean participants. Also, Dutch/Germans, compared to South Korean participants, reported higher positive emotions, less stress level, and higher satisfaction and reliability toward their romantic partner when suppressing their emotions. Compared to when they expressed their emotions, they demonstrated greater positive emotions, similar stress levels, and better perceived response of their partner when they suppressed them. Similar results were shown for South Korean participants, in terms of suppressing their emotions rather than expressing them, except for how they perceived the response of the partners, in which they have shown deteriorated view toward their partner. Results, discussion, limitation, and suggestions for future directions are further discussed