Empathic Concern and Social Support Provision across Cultures

Abstract Existing research indicates that empathic concern mediates cultural differences in social support transactions. However, the specific pathways through which empathic concern influences support provision and contributes to these cultural differences remain unclear. Across two studies, we hypothesized and found that Japanese participants reported significantly lower empathic concern than European Americans, which explained their reduced likelihood of offering social support to friends. Additionally, Japanese participants' lower empathic concern predicted a diminished desire for friends' support during stressful times, which, in turn, further reduced their own support provision. These findings advance our understanding of the cultural foundations of social support transactions by clarifying the mediating role of empathic concern and its effects on both the desire for friends' support and the provision of support.