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Abstract

The evaluation that an event is significant to life or goals may be important as a source of intensity of emotion as well as of kind of emotion. One factor in significance may be the perceived personal distance of the person evaluating the event from the person involved in the event. A simple survey questionnaire included events intended to elicit five different emotions. The 62 American and 71 Korean subjects rated on a scale of 1 to 7 the intensity of emotion they would feel for each of four different levels of personal distance: self, sibling, friend, stranger. Significant differences were found for both personal distance and kind of emotion but not for culture. Interactions were found and the results discussed.

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Emotional Intensity Ratings and Personal Distance in American and Korean Subjects

Abstract

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