Culture, gender, and the bipolarity of momentary affect

This study examined if the relation between momentary positive and negative affect varies with culture and gender. In eight samples covering five languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) with 3084 respondents (1305 males and 1779 females), I tested this proposal through structural equation models that controlled for random and systematic errors of measurement. In all eight samples, female respondents yielded a more negative correlation between positive and negative affect than did male respondents, but the differences were tiny and only two were statistically significant. In a multi-sample confirmatory factor analysis, the correlation was found to be substantial and negative in all five languages (Fs ranging from /.80 to /.91). All values from the total samples and from males and females separately were consistent with the bipolarity of positive and negative affect.