What elicits love and gratitude? A cross-cultural comparison between the U.S., China, and Chile

Love and gratitude are key to human flourishing but have been predominantly studied in WEIRD populations, limiting our understanding of these emotions. Here, we explored the culturally shared and distinct aspects of love and gratitude. We asked European American (N = 99), Chinese (N = 100), and Chilean (N = 97) participants to recall four situations that elicited love and gratitude. Content analysis revealed shared themes, such as Romantic Affection for love and Appreciation and Graciousness for gratitude, but also cultural variations. For both emotions, European Americans (a more independent group) mentioned more self-oriented experiences like pride, while the two more interdependent groups, Chinese and Chileans, highlighted social connections. Notably, the two interdependent groups diverged. Chinese participants emphasized tangible reciprocity, respect for authority and mixed emotional experiences, while Chilean participants valued open expression of intimacy. These data contribute to a growing body of research on cultural variations between interdependent groups.