Constructing Emotional Meaning: A Comparison of the Content and Impact of Environmental Advertising in the U.S. and China.

In the study of emotions, scholars have debated whether emotions are universal or particular to cultures. The current research explores this question by comparing environmental ads and emotional responses to these ads by students in the United States and China. We find a substantial difference in the tone of ads between the two countries and in the emotional responses. We argue that a constructionist approach explains the role that culture, ideology and experience play in the design of the ads and the emotional appraisal of them. Following exposure to American and Chinese ads, Chinese students report more intense emotional responses, and share more pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors than the American students. They are more likely to expect to take part in group efforts for the environment. The American students only exceed the Chinese students in their desire to recycle, which reflects a long-standing campaign in the U.S. Our findings support a theory of emotional response that is culturally constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]