Cultural differences in people's affective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of self-continuity and lay theories of change.

We conducted an online study with Chinese and Euro-Canadian university students (N = 432) to examine their affective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how self-continuity and lay theories of change may play a role in predicting these responses. We found that, compared to Euro-Canadians, Chinese participants reported stronger positive affect and weaker negative affect, had a greater sense of self-continuity, stronger belief in change, and higher levels of optimism. Our analyses revealed that culture had an indirect effect on affective responses through self-continuity, and through lay theories of change and optimism sequentially. The results suggest that self-continuity and lay theories of change might have contributed to positive affective responses to the pandemic through different pathways. The findings have important implications for understanding cultural differences in affect regulation and for promoting psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]