Happiness does not alleviate fear, depression among some Asians

By Staff Writer

Although many treatments for depression are based on the enhancement of positive emotions, a new study reveals that this method is not effective among all cultures.

The findings, which appear in the journal Emotion, are based on a study by University of Washington psychologists. They asked questions to 633 college students, consisting of a mix of Asian immigrants, Asian Americans and European Americans.

Participants were asked to rate how much stress and depression they felt and how often they experienced sadness, feelings of worthlessness or had sleep and appetite changes. In addition, they were also asked about the levels of positive emotions that they experienced, including confidence, attentiveness, joy and serenity.

Researchers discovered that Asians react to their positive emotions differently than most individuals, in regards to their mental condition. They found that high levels of happiness led to negative responses, such as an impending doom that something bad would soon occur.

Asian participants also expressed fear that their over-elation would cause others to become jealous, which could create a conflict or unspoken resentment.

European Americans, on the other hand, exhibited lower levels of stress and depression when they experienced more positive emotions.

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