Cultural Values as a Moderator of the Emotion Suppression to Strain Relationship: A Comparison of Two Dominant Theoretical Mechanisms

Although the relationship between emotion regulation and deleterious health outcomes is a robust finding in Western cultures, studies show that this effect is attenuated in non-Western cultures. The present study employed an experience sampling method to examine the mitigating effect of cultural values (i.e., individual-level collectivism) on the relationship between emotion regulation and employee strain (i.e., job satisfaction and anxiety) through the theoretical models of emotional dissonance and resource loss (operationalized as inauthenticity and emotional exhaustion). Using data collected from 182 adults working in the service industry, I ran a multilevel path analysis to test the study’s hypotheses. Results indicated that both inauthenticity and emotional exhaustion significantly mediated the relationship between emotion suppression and job satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion also mediated the relationship between emotion suppression and anxiety. Furthermore, individual-level collectivism moderated the relationship between suppression and inauthenticity such that those who report mid and high levels of collectivism reported low levels of inauthenticity whereas those with low collectivism reported high inauthenticity when they suppress. These results suggest that, while suppression can be toxic, cultural values can be protective and promote improved well-being