Culture, emotion suppression and disclosure, and health

Researchers have examined cultural differences in the psychological and physiological health consequences of emotion suppression. The goal of this review is to clarify the state of the science on this growing area of research by summarizing patterns of findings, identifying limitations, and providing recommendations for future research. First, we review the framework that provides the theoretical foundation for explaining cultural differences, and then we present findings on how culture influences the psychological and physiological health consequences of emotion suppression. Next, we review the expressive writing intervention as a culturally sensitive intervention that facilitates emotion disclosure for cultural groups that prioritize emotional restraint. Finally, we end by providing theoretical and methodological recommendations for future research.