Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Do culture and oxytocin receptor polymorphisms interact to influence emotional expressivity?

  • Original Research Article
  • Published:
Culture and Brain

Abstract

Drawing on recent evidence suggesting that individuals having the G allele of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphism are especially susceptible to socio-cultural environmental influences, including cultural norms, the present study investigated the interplay of culture and two OXTR polymorphisms (rs53576 and rs2254298) in the domain of emotional expressivity, which is culturally encouraged in Western cultures. Testing Japanese and European Canadian undergraduates, we found cultural differences in negative emotional expressivity and positive emotional expressivity. As expected, the European Canadians were greater in positive emotional expressivity than the Japanese. In contrast, the pattern was reversed in negative emotional expressivity. A series of multiple regression analyses entering gender and personality traits as control variables showed that neither culture nor the two OXTR polymorphisms interact to negative emotional expressivity and positive emotional expressivity. The present null findings suggest that continued examination with larger samples would better elucidate results on the interactions among culture, OXTR, and socioemotional behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Ishii et al. (2018), Matsunaga et al. (2017), and Ohtsubo et al. (2019) used the same Japanese dataset and Matsunaga et al. (2018) and Ohtsubo et al. (2019) used a part of the Canadian dataset, although they used different measures in their analyses.

  2. We performed a multiple group analysis for each facet to examine metric equivalence. For negative expressivity, metric invariance was tested by a model constraining factor loadings equal across Japanese and Canadians (df = 23, χ2 = 48.40, Akaike Information Criterion [AIC] = 9811.1, Bayesian Information Criterion [BIC] = 9939.6) and was established, df difference = 5, χ2 difference = 4.64, p = .46. For positive expressivity, metric invariance was tested by a model constraining factor loadings equal across Japanese and Canadians (df = 7, χ2 = 10.61, AIC = 6098.1, BIC = 6185.2) and was established, df difference = 3, χ2 difference = 2.86, p = .41. For impulse strength, partial intercept invariance was accordingly tested (df = 25, χ2 = 149.54, AIC = 10171, BIC = 10292) and was established, df difference = 2, χ2 difference = 0.94, p = .63.

Referencess

  • Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2006). Gene-environment interaction of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) and observed maternal insensitivity predicting externalizing behavior in preschoolers. Developmental Psychobiology, 48, 406–409.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2007). For better and for worse: Differential susceptibility to environmental influences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 300–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., Jonassaint, C., Pluess, M., Stanton, M., Brummett, B., & Williams, R. (2009). Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes? Molecular Psychiatry, 14, 746–754.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brüne, M. (2012). Does the oxytocin receptor polymorphism (rs2254298) confer ‘vulnerability’ for psychopathology or ‘differential susceptibility’? Insights from evolution. BMC Med, 10, 38.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Sugden, K., Moffitt, T. E., Taylor, A., Craig, I. W., Harrington, H., et al. (2003). Influence of life stress on depression: Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science, 301, 386–389.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chelala, C., Khan, A., & Lemoine, N. R. (2008). SNPnexus: A web database for functional annotation of newly discovered and public domain single nucleotide polymorphisms. Bioinformatics, 25, 655–661.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1997). Stability and change in personality assessment: The revised NEO personality inventory in the year 2000. Journal of Personality Assessment, 68, 86–94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Culverhouse, R. C., Saccone, N. L., Horton, A. C., Ma, Y., Anstey, K. J., Banaschewski, T., et al. (2018). Collaborative meta-analysis finds no evidence of a strong interaction between stress and 5-HTTLPR genotype contributing to the development of depression. Molecular Psychiatry, 23, 133–142.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. (1972). Universals and cultural differences in facial expressions of emotion. In J. Cole (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation, 1971 (pp. 207–283). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (1995). Facets of emotional expressivity: Three self-report factors and their correlates. Personality and Individual Differences, 19, 555–568.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (1997). Revealing feelings: facets of emotional expressivity in self-reports, peer ratings, and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 435–448.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heinrichs, M., von Dawans, B., & Domes, G. (2009). Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 30, 548–557.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inoue, H., Yamasue, H., Tochigi, M., Abe, O., Liu, X., Kawamura, Y., et al. (2010). Association between the oxytocin receptor gene and amygdalar volume in healthy adults. Biological Psychiatry, 68, 1066–1072.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ishii, K., Kim, H., Sasaki, J., Shinada, M., & Kusumi, I. (2014). Culture modulates sensitivity to the disappearance of facial expressions associated with the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR). Culture and Brain, 2, 72–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishii, K., Matsunaga, M., Noguchi, Y., Yamasue, H., Ochi, M., & Ohtsubo, Y. (2018). A polymorphism of serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) influences delay discounting of gain and loss. Personality and Individual Differences, 121, 193–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanat, M., Heinrichs, M., & Domes, G. (2014). Oxytocin and the social brain: Neural mechanisms and perspectives in human research. Brain Research, 1580, 160–171.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karg, K., Burmeister, M., Shedden, K., & Sen, S. (2011). The serotonin transporter promoter variant (5-HTTLPR), stress, and depression meta-analysis revisited: Evidence of genetic moderation. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68, 444–454.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., & Sasaki, J. Y. (2014). Cultural neuroscience: Biology of the mind in cultural context. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 487–514.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., & Sherman, D. K. (2007). "Express yourself": Culture and the effect of self-expression on choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1–11.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., Mojaverian, T., Sasaki, J. Y., Park, J., Suh, E. M., et al. (2011). Gene-culture interaction: Oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR) and emotion regulation. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2, 665–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., Sasaki, J. Y., Xu, J., Chu, T. Q., Ryu, C., et al. (2010a). Culture, distress, and oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR) interact to influence emotional support seeking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107, 15717–15721.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., & Taylor, S. E. (2008). Culture and social support. American Psychologist, 63, 518–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., Taylor, S. E., Sasaki, J. Y., Chu, T. Q., Ryu, C., et al. (2010b). Culture, serotonin receptor polymorphism and locus of attention. Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, 5, 212–218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitayama, S., King, A., Yoon, C., Tompson, S., Huff, S., & Liberzon, I. (2014). The dopamine receptor gene (DRD4) moderates cultural difference in independent versus interdependent social orientation. Psychological Science, 25, 1169–1177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LeClair, J., Sasaki, J. Y., Ishii, K., Shinada, M., & Kim, H. S. (2016). Gene–culture interaction: Influence of culture and oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism on loneliness. Culture and Brain, 4, 21–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • LoParo, D., & Waldman, I. D. (2015). The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 20, 640–646.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, S., & Han, S. (2014). The association between an oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism and cultural orientations. Culture and Brain, 2, 89–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto, D., Yoo, S. H., Fontaine, J. R. J., Anguas-Wong, A. M., Arriola, M., Ataca, B., et al. (2008). Mapping expressive differences around the world: The relationship between emotional display rules and individualism versus collectivism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 39, 55–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsunaga, M., Ishii, K., Ohtsubo, Y., Noguchi, Y., Ochi, M., & Yamasue, H. (2017). Association between salivary serotonin and the social sharing of happiness. PLoS ONE, 12, e0180391.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Matsunaga, M., Masuda, T., Ishii, K., Ohtsubo, Y., Noguchi, Y., Ochi, M., et al. (2018). Culture and cannabinoid receptor gene polymorphism interact to influence the perception of happiness. PLoS ONE, 13, e0209552.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R., Wankerl, M., Stalder, T., Kirschbaum, C., & Alexander, N. (2013). The serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) and cortisol stress reactivity: A meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 18, 1018–1024.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Obradović, J., & Boyce, W. T. (2009). Individual differences in behavioral, physiological, and genetic sensitivities to contexts: Implications for development and adaptation. Developmental Neuroscience, 31, 300–308.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ohtsubo, Y., Masuda, T., Matsunaga, M., Noguchi, Y., Yamasue, H., & Ishii, K. (2019). Is collectivistic forgiveness different from individualistic forgiveness? Dispositional correlates of trait forgivingness in Canada and Japan. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 51, 290–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues, S. M., Saslow, L. R., Garcia, N., John, O. P., & Keltner, D. (2009). Oxytocin receptor genetic variation relates to empathy and stress reactivity in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 21437–21441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rychlowska, M., Miyamoto, Y., Matsumoto, D., Hess, U., Gilboa-Schechtman, E., Kamble, S., et al. (2015). Heterogeneity of long-history migration explains cultural differences in reports of emotional expressivity and the functions of smiles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112, E2429–E2436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasaki, J. Y., & Kim, H. S. (2017). Nature, nurture, and their interplay: A review of cultural neuroscience. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 48, 4–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasaki, J. Y., Kim, H. S., Mojaverian, T., Kelley, L. D. S., Park, I. Y., & Janušonis, S. (2013). Religion priming differentially increases prosocial behavior among variants of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8, 209–215.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (1995). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach. Cambridge, UK: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimonaka, Y., Nakazato, K., Gondo, Y., & Takayama, M. (1999). NEO-PI-R, NEO-FFI manual for the Japanese version (revised and enlarged ed). Tokyo, Japan: Tokyo Shinri.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., Sherman, D. K., Kim, H. S., Jarcho, J., Takagi, K., & Dunagan, M. S. (2004). Culture and social support: Who seeks it and why? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 354–362.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. J., Parker, K. J., Hallmayer, J. F., Waugh, C. E., & Gotlib, I. H. (2011). Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs2254298) interacts with familial risk for psychopathology to predict symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescent girls. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36, 144–147.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tost, H., Kolachana, B., Hakimi, S., Lemaitre, H., Verchinski, B. A., Mattay, V. S., et al. (2010). A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) impacts prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107, 13936–13941.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, J. L., Levenson, R. W., & Carstensen, L. L. (2000). Autonomic, subjective, and expressive responses to emotional films in older and younger Chinese Americans and European Americans. Psychology and Aging, 15, 684–693.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Way, B. M., & Taylor, S. (2010). The serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism is associated with cortisol response to psychosocial stress. Biological Psychiatry, 67, 487–492.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yamasue, H. (2013). Function and structure in social brain regions can link oxytocin-receptor genes with autistic social behavior. Brain and Development, 35, 111–118.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

The research was supported by Topic-Setting Program to Advance Cutting-Edge Humanities and Social Sciences Research Area Cultivation (#D-4), the Japan Society for the Promotion Science. We thank Amy Chan, Elsie Chang, Lili Gang, Miho Iwasaki, Mindy Jiang, Naoki Konishi, Maki Oba, Misaki Ochi, Angelica Paras, Shunta Sasaki, and Mana Yamaguchi for their support in carrying out this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Keiko Ishii

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Biological Sciences Building P-355, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada

    Takahiko Masuda

  3. Department of Health and Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, 480-1195, Japan

    Masahiro Matsunaga

  4. Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Yasuki Noguchi & Yohsuke Ohtsubo

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan

    Hidenori Yamasue

Authors
  1. Keiko Ishii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Takahiko Masuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Masahiro Matsunaga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yasuki Noguchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hidenori Yamasue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yohsuke Ohtsubo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keiko Ishii.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

The study was reviewed and approved by the ethics committees at Kobe University and the University of Alberta. The participants provided a written informed consent at the beginning of the study. All responses were confidential.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ishii, K., Masuda, T., Matsunaga, M. et al. Do culture and oxytocin receptor polymorphisms interact to influence emotional expressivity?. Cult. Brain 9, 20–34 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40167-020-00091-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40167-020-00091-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation