Being modest can boost your self- esteem if you hail from East Asia. But for people in Western societies, not so much. That, at least, is what professor Cai Huajian of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and an international research team have found.
'When Chinese behave in a modest way, they view themselves higher or feel better deep inside their hearts,' he said in an interview with the Sunday China Morning Post.
This is because of the collectivist nature of East Asian cultures, especially China.
Self-denigration for the purpose of self-enhancement may appear contradictory in Western societies. But in a new study, Cai, a psychologist, and co-researchers argue it makes sense when put into the context of a culture that places a premium on fitting in with others. This collective modesty has baffled Western scholars such as professor Steven Heine, director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University.
'[The scholars] think that Easterners lack the need for high self- esteem because they need to be modest,' Cai said.
Cai, along with seven other academics from China, Britain and the United States, aimed to disprove what Heine believes by showing that rather than eliminating the need for it, modesty in fact increases self- esteem in Eastern cultures.