Received: 24 February 2023    Revised: 4 October 2023    Accepted: 4 November 2023 DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12919 E M P I R I C A L A R T I C L E COVID-19 cases correlate with greater acceptance coping in flexible cultures: A cross-cultural study in 26 countries Xiaoyu Zhou1,2  | Alexander Scott English3  | Steve J. Kulich4  | Lu Zheng5  | Tales Alves6  | Sibele D. Aquino7  |  Sanja Batić Očovaj8  | Hacer Belen9  | Ashley Biddle10  |  Chinun Boonroungrut11  | Adolfo Fabricio Licoa Campos12  |  Rita Castro13  | Cicilia Chettiar14  | Phatthanakit Chobthamkit15  | Richard G. Cowden16  | Dmitrii Dubrov17  |  Mehrdad F. Falavarjani18  | Tahir Farid19 | Nicolas Geeraert20  | Dmitry Grigoryev17  | Hendrik Gunawan21 | Joep Hofhuis22  |  Kazi Nur Hossain23 | Kaiyue Huang24 | Huang Jiang25  |  Veljko Jovanović26  | Nuannut Khieowan27 |  Monika Klimek-Tulwin28  | Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka29 |  Jonas R. Kunst30  | Katharina Lefringhausen31  | Xiaoyuan Li32  | Samuel Lins33  | Sadia Malik34  | Fridanna Maricchiolo35  |  Laura Martínez-Buelvas36  | Elma Medosevic - Korjenic37 |  Benjamin H. Nam38  | Ginés Navarro-Carrillo39  |  Jose Candido Pereira Neto40  | Felipe Novaes41 | Eliza Oliver42  | Daniele Paolini43  | Joonha Park44 | Dušana Šakan8  |  Miriam Schwarzenthal45  | Qian Sun46  | Thomas Talhelm47  | Robert Thomson48  | Arun Tipandjan49  | Rongtian Tong50  |  Jorge Torres-Marín51  | Shuang Wang52 | Liuqing Wei53  |  Victoria Wai Lan Yeung54  | Mahdi Yousefi55 | Ananta Yudiarso56 | Masaki Yuki57  | Xinyi Zhang58 Xiaoyu Zhou and Alexander Scott English contributed equally to this study. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2024;e12919. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/spc3 © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1 of 28 https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12919 2 of 28 ZHOU et al. Correspondence Alexander Scott English. Abstract Email: AEnglish@kean.edu The current study examines whether the prevalence of Funding information COVID-19 cases and cultural flexibility correlate to one's use This project was partially supported with of acceptance coping across 26 cultures. We analyzed data funding from the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social from 7476 participants worldwide at the start of the first Development at the University of Chicago’s outbreak from March 2020 to June 2020. Results showed Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, the Fundamental Research that cultural flexibility moderated the relationship between Funds for the Central Universities, and the COVID-19 cases and individuals' acceptance coping strate- National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 71901100 gies. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with more acceptance coping; for cultures with low flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with less acceptance coping. This result demonstrates how partic- ipants from flexible cultures can coexist with the realistic challenges and suffering faced during this pandemic. K E Y W O R D S acceptance coping, cultural flexibility, COVID-19 prevalence 1 | INTRODUCTION COVID-19 has caused immense suffering worldwide, and people in different cultures have reacted differently. While some have accepted and learned to live with the situation, others have struggled. This study aims to investigate how the prevalence of COVID-19 and a new cultural trait, cultural flexibility, influence coping strategies across cultures. 2 | THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COVID-19 CASES AND COPING STRATEGIES The way people coped with the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases at the start of the pandemic is still an area of research that deserves attention. Previous studies have shown that people living in areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases often experience higher stress levels (Green et al., 2021). Coping strategies can help reduce the adverse effects of stressful situations, particularly when applied appropriately (Bamuhair et al., 2015). Coping also lessens feelings of distress from negative experiences by using mental and behavioral strategies to manage stress-related issues (Carver, 2013; Tuason et al., 2021). Acceptance coping is a widely adopted coping strategy that aims to help individuals adapt to the situation rather than actively control or change it (Polizzi et al., 2020). Instead, people adjust some aspects of themselves and accept the circumstances as they are (Fisher et al., 2021). This type of secondary control coping contrasts with primary control coping, which involves attempts to control the stressor itself (English & Zhang, 2020; Gaudreau, 2018). Although using different coping strategies under different stress levels has been well-researched, the results have not always been consistent. While some studies found that stress was negatively related to acceptance or other secondary “fit” coping strategies (i.e., fitting oneself into situations instead of influencing situations), other studies found contradictory or non-significant results. For instance, Labrague et al. (2018) found that stress was negatively related to secondary control coping (i.e., staying optimistic) in a sample of nursing students from Greece, the Phil- ippines, and Nigeria. In contrast, another study found the relationship between distress and secondary coping was positive in East Asian Canadians but non-significant in European Canadians (Han et al., 2022). 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 3 of 28 The early days of the global pandemic provide a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between COVID- 19 cases and individual-level coping strategies. Baloch et al. (2021) found no significant relationship between stress during COVID-19 and acceptance coping in a sample of college students in Pakistan. Alongside the aforementioned studies that found inconsistent results from different cultural samples (i.e., participants from Greece, the Philippines, Nigeria, Canada, and Pakistan), the inconsistency between stress and acceptance coping could be attributed. Another reason for the observed inconsistencies maybe the different contexts in which the data were collected. For example, Italy was one of the countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially at the beginning. Paolini et al. (2022) found, with a sample of non-students during the lockdown period, that activating broader and therefore more flexible social identification, such as with all of humanity, led to greater trust towards social and political actors. This, in turn, can help individuals reduce the stress caused by the restrictive conditions during the Covid-19 lockdown. It is possible that some cultures enable while others hinder acceptance coping to manage the high stress trig- gered by this pandemic. This study proposes that flexibility-monumentalism, a cultural trait, could potentially moder- ate the relationship between the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and the usage of acceptance coping, providing an explanation for the inconsistency in previous findings. 3 | FLEXIBLE SOCIETIES MODERATE THE LINK BETWEEN COVID-19 CASES AND ACCEPTANCE COPING Flexibility-monumentalism, or flexibility for short, is a newly discussed cultural trait proposed by Minkov et al. (2018). The authors postulate that cultures with higher levels of flexibility exhibit a stronger ability to coexist with suffering and discomfort, and individuals in these cultures reflect a flexible and practical ability to adjust to different situations. For example, East Asian cultures tend to have greater flexibility, while cultures with higher levels of monumental- ism tend to hold unalterable values and beliefs. Individuals in these cultures tend to prefer self-consistency across contexts and situations and prefer to satisfy their desires instead of suppressing them. Cultures in Latin America and Africa tend to have greater monumentalism. Because flexible cultures tend to encourage people to live with suffering, it is possible that these cultures can more easily accept the increasing severity of COVID-19. Research has shown that countries in East Asia performed better with fewer COVID-19 cases and less COVID-19 related deaths compared to the rest of the world (Talhelm et al., 2023). Another relevant study found that societal levels of flexibility were positively related to the reduction in mortality in COVID-19 (Li et al., 2022). Previous studies also found that Eastern cultures favor secondary control coping more than Western cultures (Han et al., 2022), and that secondary coping functions better in Asian cultures than in Western cultures (Szabo et al., 2017). Therefore, we hypothesize that cultural flexibility moderates the link between COVID-19 cases and acceptance coping. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, situations with more COVID-19 cases correlate to more accept- ance coping, while for cultures with low flexibility, situations with more COVID-19 cases correlate to less acceptance coping. 4 | METHOD 4.1 | Participants This research is affiliated with a larger project that received ethical approval from the affliated University (Research Project Protocol # 2020-UNI-0211). The current research recruited participants from around the world through a Global COVID-19 Online Survey. It was conducted by the Shanghai International Studies University IC Institute in collaboration with researchers around the world during the first wave of the pandemic. Participants joined this study 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 4 of 28 ZHOU et al. F I G U R E 1   The map of 26 cultures involved in formal analyses. through Qualtrics. Participation in this research was voluntary. At first, we recruited 9702 participants from 99 coun- tries from March 2020 to June 2020. To follow the General Data Protection Regulation, we excluded the participants who were under 18 years old. In addition, in order to get valid results, we only included countries with at least 30 participants, had flexibility scores from Minkov et al. (2018), and have records of daily COVID-19 cases at the time of data collection. In the end, 7476 participants (Mage = 31.86, SDage = 12.97, 60.42% female) from 26 cultures (see Figure 1) were included in the final analyses. The details about the demographic information by culture are presented in Table S2 in supplemental materials. 4.2 | Measurements 4.2.1 | Coping strategies Acceptance coping was measured by 3 items using a coping strategy scale (brief COPE; Carver, 1997). An example item is: “I accept the fact that this happened.” Participants rated the items from 1 (won't do this) to 4 (often do this). The brief COPE consists of 8-item, with 3 items measuring acceptance coping and 5 items measuring adaptive coping (see Table S5 and Figure S1 in online supplemental materials). The two-factor solution of the brief COPE fits the data best across cultures because this factor structure, with two correlated factors, achieved measurement invariance across countries (refer to Table S6 in the supplementary materials). McDonald's Omega for acceptance coping was 0.74. 4.2.2 | Cultural flexibility versus monumentalism The flexibility versus monumentalism country scores were from Minkov et al. (2018). The scores were derived from seven items that each contained three options: 1 for monumentalism (e.g., I have strong values and beliefs that guide my behavior in most situations), 2 for neutral, and 3 for flexibility (e.g., My behavior is contingent on the situation, less influenced by my values and beliefs). Factor analysis of these items per country yielded a “flexibility” versus “monu- mentalism” unifactorial solution. Factor scores, multiplied by 100, represent country scores; higher scores indicate 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 5 of 28 more flexibility and lower monumentalism. For example, the score for Japan is 234, while the score for Italy is −36. All scores are presented in the supplemental materials. 4.2.3 | New cases per million population To measure the prevalence of COVID-19 cases, we collected cases of COVID-19 per million population. We collected the number of new confirmed cases (7- day smoothed) based on each participants' response dates and their current country from Hasell et al. (2020)'s work. Specifically, we averaged the number of new cases per million population on the response day and 6 days before. 4.2.4 | Covariates Since previous research has found that age, gender, education level, national collectivism and individualism, and financial resources, were related to one's coping style (e.g., Baloch et al., 2021; Kuo, 2013; van Deurzen et al., 2015), this study collected such data and analyzed them as covariates. Additionally, we controlled for the Stringency Index, historical pathogens, the number of people in the household, and population density because they may be related to the spread and severity of COVID-19 (e.g., Wong & Li, 2020). The stringency index gauges the strictness of governmental COVID-19 policies, such as travel bans and school closures. It is controlled for because countries differ in policy strictness, as well as collectivism since it is known to influence mask-wearing behaviors (Lu et al., 2021). Historical pathogens measure a population's long-term infectious disease prevalence, which was controlled for to exclude its effects when analyzing contemporary reactions to COVID-19. These are common covariates in previous COVID research (e.g., English et al., 2022). The details about the covariates are presented in Table S1 in supplemental materials. 5 | RESULTS The descriptive results are displayed in Table 1. The details about the descriptive statistics of main variables by culture are presented in Table S3 in supplemental materials. Since our dataset consists of two levels: individual level and culture level, we examined whether this dataset is suitable for a multilevel approach. Thus, we calculated the intraclass correlation (ICC) for acceptance coping score in the model which only include a random intercept. The ICC was 0.07, indicating that 7% of the variation in review score was due to between-culture variation. LeBreton and Senter (2008) have suggested that ICC > 0.05 indicating the necessity of multilevel modeling. Therefore, we conducted multilevel analyses using the nlme package in R (Pinheiro et al., 2010). We tested a multilevel model with grand-mean centered cultural flexibility, new cases per million, and their interaction term, the society-mean-centered new cases per million, and the interaction with grand-mean centered cultural flex- ibility. All grand-mean centered and society-mean centered control variables are included in Table 2. Although new cases per million and stringency index are society-level variables, they were reported daily and thus varied depending on the participants' survey completion date. Therefore, they are also society-mean centered esti- mates. All covariates and their corresponding centered estimates were included in this regression model (refer to Table 2). We also ran a regression model for adaptive coping, please refer to Table S7 in the online supplementary materials. Results showed that only the interaction effect between grand-mean centered cultural flexibility and new cases was significant (see Figure 2), B = 0.00007, SE = 0.00002, 95% CI = [0.00003, 0.0001], p < 0.001. This suggests that an increase in COVID-19 cases interacted with the level of cultural flexibility, affecting individuals' coping acceptance. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 6 of 28 ZHOU et al. T A B L E 1   Means, standard deviations, and correlations among variables (N = 7476). Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1. Acceptance coping 3.28 0.69 (0.74) 2. Flexibility 4.87 83.8 0.01 -- 3. New cases per million 35.9 39.33 −0.03** −0.11** -- 4. Gender 0.64 0.48 0.01 0.05** 0.04** 5. Age 31.86 12.97 0.03** 0.11** 0.14** 0.4** -- 6. Education level 4.56 1.53 0.13** 0.12** −0.08** 0.01 0.23** -- 7. Stringency index 77.4 14.22 0.01 −0.40** 0.16** −0.09** 0.02 0.12** -- 8. Hofstede's individualism 54.32 26.12 0.07** 0.16** 0.30** 0.08** 0.07** −0.13** −0.18** -- 9. Gini 38.81 8.28 −0.10** −0.66** 0.04** 0.02 −0.08** −0.12** 0.17** −0.14** -- 10. GDP per capita (US$) 30,499.13 16,009.38 0.09** 0.38** 0.32** 0.08** 0.12** −0.10** −0.42** 0.74** −0.46** -- 11. Pathogens per culture 0.19 2.02 −0.12** −0.44** −0.23** −0.02* −0.17** 0.03* 0.26** −0.69** 0.64** −0.78** -- 12. Population density 160.82 142.92 0.01 0.48** −0.33** 0.01 0.01 0.15** 0.09** 0.01 −0.41** −0.12** −0.13** -- 13. People in household 3.4 1.75 −0.04** −0.14** −0.17** −0.02 −0.21** −0.09** 0.09** −0.13** 0.23** −0.24** 0.23** 0.02 -- Note: Gender: 0 = male, 1 = female. Education: 1 = below high school to 7 = doctoral or equivalent. Spearman correlation was used to the correlation between gender and the rest variables. The reliability was reported in the diagonal line. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 7 of 28 T A B L E 2   Regression model for acceptance coping. B (SE) (Intercept) 3.27***(0.03) Flexibilitygrand-mean centered 0.002** (0.0007) New cases per milliongrand-mean centered −0.001 (0.0008) New cases per millionsociety-mean centered −0.0008 (0.0009) Flexibilitygrand-mean centered × new cases per milliongrand-mean centered 0.00007***(0.00002) Flexibilitygrand-mean centered × new cases per millionsociety-mean centered −0.00003 (0.00002) Gendergrand-mean centered 0.02 (0.27) Gendersociety-mean centered 0.003 (0.27) Agegrand-mean centered −0.004 (0.005) Agesociety-mean centered −0.004 (0.005) Education levelgrand-mean centered 0.09*(0.04) Education levelsociety-mean centered −0.07 (0.04) Stringency indexgrand-mean centered 0.005 (0.004) Stringency indexsociety-mean centered −0.004 (0.004) Hofstede's individualismgrand-mean centered −0.002 (0.002) Ginigrand-mean centered 0.01 (0.008) GDP per capitagrand-mean centered 0.00001 (0.00001) Pathogens per culturegrand-mean centered −0.07*(0.03) Population densitygrand-mean centered −0.0003 (0.0002) People in householdgrand-mean centered −0.010 (0.005) Conditional R 2 0.08 Observations 6760 Countries 26 Note: Unstandardized regression coefficients are displayed, with standard errors in parentheses. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. F I G U R E 2   The interaction effect between cultural flexibility and new COVID-19 cases in model 3. Error bars represent 95% CI. [Corrections added on 31 January 2024 after first online publication: The figures have been swapped] 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 8 of 28 ZHOU et al. Specifically, when cultural flexibility was higher (1SD above the mean), new cases per million was positively associ- ated with participants' acceptance coping: B = 0.005, SE = 0.002, 95% CI = [0.001, 0.008], p = 0.008 (Table 2). When cultural flexibility was lower (1SD below the mean), new cases per million was negatively associated with participants' acceptance coping: B = −0.007, SE = 0.002, 95% CI = [-0.010, −0.004], p < 0.001. These results supported our hypothesis. We also adopted grand-mean centering and society-mean centering with or without covariates sepa- rately. The interaction effect between grand-mean centered cultural flexibility and new cases was robustly signifi- cant. These results were included in Table S4 in the supplementary materials. 6 | DISCUSSION Our data from more than 7000 people in 26 countries confirmed that cultural flexibility moderated the relationship between COVID-19 cases and acceptance coping strategies. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, COVID- 19 cases correlated with more acceptance coping; for cultures with low flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with less acceptance coping. This result is consistent with previous research that stated participants from more flexible cultures have the ability to adapt to suffering, while participants from less flexible cultures have trouble living with suffering (Minkov et al., 2018). 6.1 | Limitations There are several limitations that need to be considered when interpreting the results from the current research. First, the number of countries is limited. To obtain validated results, we only included countries with at least 30 participants, some being university student samples, and there are limited cultures with flexibility scores (Minkov et al., 2018), resulting in only 26 cultures in the analysis. Future research could examine our findings in a larger sample with more cultures. Another significant limitation is our reliance on flexibility scores derived from a different study conducted in a pre-COVID context with another sample (i.e., Minkov et al., 2018). The generalization of flexibility scores from Minkov et al. (2018) to our sample poses a potential risk of bias. Future research should consider gath- ering firsthand data on cultural flexibility to ensure more precise and relevant interpretations. Finally, we only inves- tigated acceptance coping strategy in the present study. Future research may profitably explore the link between cultural flexibility and other coping strategies. 6.2 | Implications This study innovatively uses the newly discussed cultural trait flexibility-monumentalism to understand how indi- viduals cope with the prevalence of this pandemic. As a cultural trait that distinguishes East Asian from the rest of the world, flexibility can help us understand more about why East Asian countries excelled in coping with COVID-19 (Li et al., 2022). Moreover, this study linked flexibility and acceptance coping for the very first time, enriching the research of both coping strategies and flexibility-monumentalism. In addition, the findings of this study could be instrumental for practitioners who wish to promote adaptive coping strategies. Interventions can be designed to increase flexibility, thereby enhancing adaptive responses to crises. For example, training sessions and workshops can focus on inculcating cultural flexibility. Through training, participants can be made aware of the benefits of flexibility and trained to imbibe this trait. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 9 of 28 AFFILIATIONS 1Computational Communication Research Center, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China 2School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 3Center for Behavioral Research Across Cultures in the School of Psychology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, China 4SISU Intercultural Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 5School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China 6Faculty of Psychology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 7Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro-PUCRio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 8Department of Psychology, Union University, Faculty of Law and Business Studies dr Lazar Vrkatić, Novi Sad, Serbia 9Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey 10Social Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi- Leeward Community College, Pearl City, Hawaii, USA 11Psychology and Guidance, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 12Literature Research Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 13Center for Psychology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 14Department of Psychology, Maniben Nanavati Women’s College, Mumbai, India 15Department of Psychology, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand 16Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 17Center for Sociocultural Research, HSE University, Moscow, Russia 18Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran 19Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan 20University of Essex, Colchester, UK 21Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands 22Department of Media & Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands 23Department of Psychology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh 24Department of Literature and Media, Yulin Normal University, Yulin, China 25Institute for Language Materials Development, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, Shanghai, China 26Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 27Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of International Studies, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand 28Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland 29Division of Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland 30University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 31Department of Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK 32Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macao, Macau, China 33Department of Psychology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 34Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan 35Department of Education, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy 36Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, Cartagena, Colombia 37Department of Psychology, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia 38School of Education, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 39Department of Social Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain 40Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 41Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 42School of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 43Faculty of Human Sciences, Education and Sport, Pegaso University, Naples, Italy 44School of Management, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Nisshin, Japan 45School of Education, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany 46School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 10 of 28 ZHOU et al. 47Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA 48Hokusei Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan 49International Centre for Psychological Counseling and Social Research, Chennai, India 50The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA 51Department of Research Methods in Behavioral Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain 52Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 53Department of Psychology, Hubei University, Wuhan, China 54Department of Psychology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China 55School of Literature, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China 56Faculty of Psychology, Surabaya University, Surabaya, Indonesia 57Department of Behavioral Science/Center for Experimental Research in Social Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan 58Intercultural Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Our appreciation also goes to the editors and reviewers whose insightful comments and feedback have been instru- mental in enhancing the quality of our paper significantly. We are also grateful for all of the individuals around the world who agreed to participate in this study at the start of the outbreak in 2020. A special thanks goes out to the worldwide research collaborators who assisted us in collecting data. We also extend our gratitude to the foundations for their support of our research. This project was partially supported with funding from the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 71901100). Dmitrii Dubrov received funding for data collection from HSE University Basic Research Program. [Corrections added on 31 January 2024 after first online publication: The acknowledgment section has been revised] CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. ORCID Xiaoyu Zhou https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3483-6880 Alexander Scott English https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0142-146X Steve J. Kulich https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7483-4110 Lu Zheng https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3340-7558 Tales Alves https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9625-6354 Sibele D. Aquino https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1391-0911 Sanja Batić Očovaj https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6574-4797 Hacer Belen https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9065-3504 Ashley Biddle https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3756-2755 Chinun Boonroungrut https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8162-1295 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 11 of 28 Adolfo Fabricio Licoa Campos https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3044-876X Rita Castro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8841-400X Cicilia Chettiar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-2757 Phatthanakit Chobthamkit https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0364-2693 Richard G. Cowden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9027-4253 Dmitrii Dubrov https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8146-4197 Mehrdad F. Falavarjani https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7942-2796 Nicolas Geeraert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0123-4664 Dmitry Grigoryev https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4511-7942 Joep Hofhuis https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7531-8644 Huang Jiang https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3433-3746 Veljko Jovanović https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9248-2518 Monika Klimek-Tulwin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3849-4654 Jonas R. Kunst https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3503-3921 Katharina Lefringhausen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2998-1311 Xiaoyuan Li https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1892-3594 Samuel Lins https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6824-4691 Sadia Malik https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5110-5924 Fridanna Maricchiolo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6230-6609 Laura Martínez-Buelvas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8349-1137 Benjamin H. Nam https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9969-4783 Ginés Navarro-Carrillo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0856-8197 Jose Candido Pereira Neto https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6575-4714 Eliza Oliver https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9546-4091 Daniele Paolini https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9479-4360 Dušana Šakan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1087-2550 Miriam Schwarzenthal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6278-6227 Qian Sun https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1346-2904 Thomas Talhelm https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0954-5758 Robert Thomson https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7002-3257 Arun Tipandjan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8079-1871 Rongtian Tong https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2611-069X Jorge Torres-Marín https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7663-0699 Liuqing Wei https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6488-7454 Victoria Wai Lan Yeung https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3479-3198 Masaki Yuki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4589-5616 REFERENCES Baloch, G. M., Kamaludin, K., Chinna, K., Sundarasen, S., Nurunnabi, M., Khoshaim, H. B., Hossain, S. F. A., Sukayt, A. 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Spreading of COVID-19: Density matters. PLoS One, 15(12), e0242398. https://doi. org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242398 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 13 of 28 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES Xiaoyu Zhou Lecturer at the Center for Computational Communication Research (Zhuhai), School of Journalism and Communication of Beijing Normal University. Her primary research interest is the impact of socio-cultural emotions on cognition and behavior. Alexander Scott English Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Wenzhou-Kean University. His primary research areas and interests center on cross-cultural adaptation of expats and international students. His research focuses on how people adapt to stressful situations in culturally appropriate ways. More recently, Dr. English has been fascinated with how culture shaped human behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve J. Kulich (PhD Humboldt Univ. Berlin) at Shanghai Int'l Studies Univ. (SISU since 1993) is Founder/Director of the SISU Intercultural Inst. (SII, 2006), President of IAIR (2019–2021), researches values/identities, intercul- tural competencies (ICC), the history, status, and theory-base of Intercultural Studies, and exploring indigenous aspects of changing Chinese culture. Lu Zheng is an associate professor in the School of Management at Huazhong University of Science and Tech- nology. She received her PhD in IO psychology at Auburn University. Her research interests focus on newcomer socialization, cross-cultural adjustment and personnel selection. SUPPORTING INFORMATION Additional supporting information can be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of this article. How to cite this article: Zhou, X., English, A. S., Kulich, S. J., Zheng, L., Alves, T., Aquino, S. D., Batić Očovaj, S., Belen, H., Biddle, A., Boonroungrut, C., Campos, A. F. L., Castro, R., Chettiar, C., Chobthamkit, P., Cowden, R. G., Dubrov, D., F. Falavarjani, M., Farid, T., Geeraert, N., … Zhang, X. (2024). COVID-19 cases correlate with greater acceptance coping in flexible cultures: A cross-cultural study in 26 countries. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, e12919. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12919 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 14 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A: GLOBAL COVID PROJECT Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Tales Alves Portugal tales.r.alves@ University of Porto Faculty of Tales is a hypnotist and entrepreneur https://orcid. gmail.com Psychology who works in the intersection org/0009-0005- field of Psychology and Artificial 9625-6354 Intelligence. He helps companies grow by aligning AI with one-on-one human interactions, also exploring applications of AI on improving education system at scale. Sibele D. Aquino Brazil sibele.aquino@ Pontifical Catholic Department of Sibele D. Aquino, Ph.D in Social https://orcid. gmail.com University Psychology Psychology, Postdoctoral Fellow org/0000-0003- of Rio de and Researcher at the Social 1391-0911 Janeiro-PUCRio, Psychology Research Laboratory of Brazil the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Associate Member of the Association for Research in Personality-ARP. Her research interests focus on psychosocial aspects of behavior, especially social cognition, personality, and positive variables. Sanja Batić Očovaj Serbia sanja.batic@ Union University, Department of Sanja Batić Očovaj is Assistant Professor https://orcid. gmail.com Faculty of Law and Psychology at Faculty of Law and Business org/0000-0001- Business Studies Studies dr Lazar Vrkatić in Novi Sad, 6574-4797 dr Lazar Vrkatić, Serbia where she teaches Statistics Serbia and Psychometrics. She earned PhD in Social Psychology at University of Novi Sad in 2016. Her research is mostly related to the fields of social psychology, including migration. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 15 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Hacer Belen Turkey hacerbelen@ Bursa Uludag / Hacer Belen, PhD., is an associate https://orcid. uludag.edu.tr University professor at Bursa Uludag University, org/0000-0001- Turkey, and earned her Ph.D. at 9065-3504 the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour in the UK with a thesis on Hope Theory. Her main interests are positive psychological constructs, particularly hope. Ashley Biddle US ammorris@ University of Social Sciences Ashley Biddle earned her PhD in http://orcid. hawaii.edu Hawaiʻi- Leeward Developmental Psychology at org/0000-0003- Community University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa in 3756-2755 College 2017 and earned tenure at Leeward CC in 2023. Her research interests include children's social-cognitive development across cultures, using Open Pedagogy to support students' autonomy, and the experiences of parenting students in college. Chinun Boonroungrut Thailand b.chinun@gmail. Silpakorn University Psychology and Chinun Boonroungrut is an lecturer in http://orcid. com guidance the Department of Psychology and org/0000-0001- Guidnace, Faculty of Education. He 8162-1295 earned his Ph.D. in Developmental and Educational Psychology at. Central China Normal University. His research interests focus on developmental evaluation, education gaming and children skill imporvment. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 16 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Adolfo Campos China/ fabiolico@qq.com Shanghai International Literature Research Adolfo Fabricio Licoa Campos is a Ph.D http://orcid. Fabricio Ecudador Studies University Institute candidate at the Literature Research org/0009-0004- Licoa Institute of Shanghai International 3044-876X Studies University. His work focuses on cross-cultural and interdisciplinary stud- ies in Latin-American literature. Besides researching, he loves reading and translating poetry in the many libraries and bookstores scattered throughout the charming ‘Paris of the East.’ Rita Castro Portugal up201403361@ University of Porto Center for PhD Fellow Student in the Human Sexual- https://orcid. fpce.up.pt Psychology of ity Program of the University of Porto. org/0000-0002- University of A passionate psychologist working in 8841-400X Porto the field of sexuality and relationships. Discovering is my way of life. Cicilia Chettiar India ciciliachettiar@ Maniben Nanavati Department of Cicilia Chettiar, Ph.D. is an Associate http://orcid. yahoo.com Women's College Psychology professor of Psychology at MNW org/0000-0002- College since 19 years. She heads 6947-2757 the undergraduate department and the research centre at the institute. Her research interests include, culture,Indian Psychology, Spiritual Psychology and Somatic therapy. Phatthanakit Chobthamkit Thailand pcpy@tu.ac.th Thammasat University Department of Phatthanakit Chobthamkit is an assistant https://orcid. Psychology professor of social psychology at org/0000-0003- Department of Psychology, Thammasat 0364-2693 University, Thailand. His research inter- ests are based on social psychology and cross-cultural psychology including, but not limited to: culture, Identity, belief in a just world, well-being, and social psychological perspectives of compul- sive buying 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 17 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Richard G. Cowden South Africa rcowden@fas. Harvard University Human Flourishing Richard G. Cowden, Ph.D., is a https://orcid. harvard.edu Program social-personality psychologist org/0000-0002- and Research Scientist with the 9027-4253 Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. He is broadly interested in psychological, social, and religious/ spiritual dynamics that shape adaptive functioning, personal growth, and well-being. Much of his research agenda focuses on topics related to adversity (e.g., suffering), character strengths (e.g., forgiveness), and religion/spirituality (e.g., religious/spiritual struggles), and their implications for health and well-being in diverse cultures and contexts. He has written numerous scholarly articles and book chapters that address various aspects of human flourishing in a wide range of populations, and is co-author of Place and Post-Pandemic Flourishing: Disruption, Adjustment, and Healthy Behaviors (Springer, 2021) and co-editor of Place, Spirituality, and Well-Being: A Global and Multidisciplinary Approach (Springer, 2023). (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 18 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Dmitrii Dubrov Russia ddubrov@hse.ru HSE University Center for Dmitrii Dubrov is a staff at HSE https://orcid. Sociocultural University, specializing in the org/0000-0001- Research fields of intergroup relations, value 8146-4197 transmission, and social capital. Mehrdad F. Falavarjani Iran fazeli.mehrdad@ University of Isfahan Department of Mehrdad F. Falavarjani is now a PhD https://orcid. gmail.com Psychology student in applied social psychology org/0000-0002- at Dep. of Psychology, University of 7942-2796 Saskatchwan, Canada. He currently focuses on the cross-cultural psychology of fairness. Tahir Farid Pakistan tahirfarid20@ Abdul Wali Khan / / / gmail.com University Mardan Nicolas Geeraert UK geeraert@essex. University of Essex / / https://orcid. ac.uk org/0000-0002- 0123-4664 Dmitry Grigoryev Russia dgrigoryev@ HSE University Center for Prof. Dmitry Grigoryev is a staff at HSE https://orcid. hse.ru Sociocultural University, specializing in the fields of org/0000-0003- Research intergroup relations, cultural diversity, 4511-7942 and acculturation. His research aims to understand the psychological mechanisms that govern social interactions across diverse groups, informing policy. Hendrik Gunawan Indonesia hendgun107@ Utrecht University Faculty of Social Hendrik Gunawan is a master student at / gmail.com and Behavioural Utrecht University. Sciences 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 19 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Joep Hofhuis Netherlands j.hofhuis@eshcc. Erasmus University Dept. of Media & Dr. Joep Hofhuis is an Assistant Professor https://orcid. eur.nl Rotterdam Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, org/0000-0001- where he specializes in intercultural 7531-8644 communication and workplace diversity. His research and teaching focuses on understanding how individuals communicate across cultures, how to enhance intercultural competences through training and education, and how to best manage diversity in organizations. Kazi Nur Hossain Bangladesh kazinur_207@ Jagannath University, Department of Kazi Nur Hossain is an Assistant Professor in the Department psy.jnu.ac.bd Bangladesh Psychology of Psychology at the Jagannath University, Bangladesh. His research focuses on behavioral economics, and on parent-child relationship quality, and their worldwide consequences on behavior for children and adults. Kaiyue Huang China huangkaiyue_ Yulin Normal Department of Huang Kaiyue is a lecturer at Yulin zwx@126. University Literature and Normal University in Guangxi, com Media China. She specializes in the fields of filmmaking, visual culture, and new media. Huang Jiang China/USA parisejiang@ Shanghai Foreign Institute for Dr. Huang Jiang is an editor at Shanghai https://orcid. gmail.com Language Language Foreign Language Education Press, org/0009-0002- Education Press Materials and a researcher at the Institute for 3433-3746 Development Language Materials Development, Shanghai International Studies University. Dr. Jiang does research primarily related to international students' intercultural adaptation and identity processes. She's also experienced in foreign language education and intercultural trainings. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 20 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Veljko Jovanović Serbia veljko.jovanovic@ University of Novi Sad Department of Veljko Jovanović is a Full Professor at https://orcid. ff.uns.ac.rs Psychology, the Department of Psychology, org/0000-0001- Faculty of University of Novi Sad, Serbia. His 9248-2518 Philosophy research focuses on the cross-cultural measurement of subjective well-being and on understanding well-being at the individual and societal levels. Nuannut Khieowan Thailand nuannut.k@ Prince of Songkla Department of / / phuket.psu. University Asian studies, ac.th Faculty of International Studies Monika Klimek-Tulwin Poland monika.klimekk@ Medical University of Department of Monika Klimek-Tulwin, MD, PhD, earned http://orcid. gmail.com Lublin Laboratory her PHD at the Department of org/0000-0002- Diagnostics Laboratory Diagnostics with a thesis 3849-4654 on diabetes and obesity research. She is a medical doctor working in the hospital and clinics. Her main interests are metabolic diseases and diseases of civilization. Natasza Kosakowska- Poland natasza. University of Gdansk Division of Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka works https://orcid. Berezecka kosakowska- Cross-Cultural as an Associate Professor and head org/0000-0003- berezecka@ and Gender in the Division of Cross-Cultural 3503-3921 ug.edu.pl Psychology Psychology and Psychology of Gender at the University of Gdańsk (Poland). Her research focuses on gender norms and stereotypes in cross-cultural perspectives and her special interests are social change and cultural cues fostering gender equality within societies across the world. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 21 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Jonas R. Kunst Norway j.r.kunst@ University of Oslo / Dr. Jonas R. Kunst is a professor of cultural psykologi. and community psychology at the uio.no University of Oslo, where he directs the Culture, Society, & Behavior Lab. Katharina Lefringhausen U.K K.lefringhausen@ Heriot-Watt Department of Dr Katharina Lefringhausen is an https://orcid. hw.ac.uk University Psychology Assistant Professor at the Heriot- org/0000-0002- Watt University in Endiburgh. Her 2998-1311 research focuses on intergroup relationships and multiculturalism. Specifically, she looks into majority members' acculturation to ethnic minority members' cultures in a shared society, its antecedents and implications for both groups. Xiaoyuan Li China xiaoyuanli@cityu. City University of Faculty of Xiaoyuan Li is Assistant Professor at the https://orcid. mo Macao Humanities and Faculty of Humanities and Social org/0000-0003- Social Sciences Sciences at City University of Macao. 1892-3594 She gained her PhD in Intercultural Communication from Shanghai International Studies University. Her research interests include international education, culture of migration, and intercultural development. Samuel Lins Portugal samuellins@fpce. University of Porto Department of Samuel Lins is professor of Social https://orcid. up.pt Psychology Psychology and researcher of the org/0000-0001- Laboratory of Social Psychology 6824-4691 from the Center for Psychology at the University of Porto (CPUP). He graduated in Psychology and Management, and his research interests mainly include psychosociological aspects of consumer behavior. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 22 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Sadia Malik Pakistan drsadiamalik13@ University of Department of Dr. Sadia Malik is an associate professor https://orcid. gmail.com Sargodha Psychology in Psychology at University of org/0000-0002- Sargodha, Pakistan. Her research 5110-5924 interests focus on psychopathology, violence and behavioral addiction. Fridanna Maricchiolo Italy fridanna. University of Roma Department of Fridanna Maricchiolo, PhD, is associate https://orcid. maricchiolo@ Tre Education professor in Social Psychology at org/0000-0002- uniroma3.it University Roma Tre, active member 6230-6609 of national and international scientific associations, guest editor for special issues and ad-hoc reviewer in interna- tional multidisciplinary journals, author and co-author of several international scientific publications on health, well- being, happiness, environmental and community psychology Laura Martínez- Colombia lmartinez@utb. Universidad Department of Laura is an Industrial Engineer and https://orcid. Buelvas edu.co Tecnológica de Industrial MPhil in Industrial Engineering from org/0000-0002- Bolívar Engineering Universidad del Norte (Colombia). 8349-1137 Currently, she is a full-time lecturer in engineering management at the Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar (Colombia). She has served as the chair of the Industrial Engineering Program at the same University (2017–2018). Her research interests are human factors engineering, work design, safety engineering and justice. Elma Medosevic - Bosnia elma.medosevic@ University of Sarajevo Department of MA student of Psychology in University / Korjenic gmail.com Psychology, of Sarajevo. Research interest focused University of on Social and Forensic Psychology. Sarajevo 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 23 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Benjamin H. Nam South Korea w2004@shisu. Shanghai International School of Education Benjamin H. Nam is a Ph.D. and https://orcid. edu.cn Studies University Associate Professor in the School of org/0000-0001- Education and the senior researcher 9969-4783 in the Comparative Study of Global Education at Shanghai International Studies University. His primary research areas and interests center on comparative and international education, STEAM education, and intercultural communication. Ginés Navarro- Spain ginesnc@ugr.es University of Granada Department Ginés Navarro-Carrillo has a Ph.D. in https://orcid. Carrillo of Social Psychology from the University of org/0000-0003- Psychology Granada (Spain). 0856-8197 Jose Candido Neto Brazil jcandidopsi@ Pontifical Catholic / José Candido Pereira Neto, professor https://orcid. Pereira gmail.com University of Rio at Centro Universitário Serra dos org/0000-0002- de Janeiro Órgãos—UNIFESO, PhD in Social 6575-4714 Psychology, researcher at the Social Psychology Research Laboratory at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. His research interests focus on the psychosocial aspects of behavior, especially issues of gender, personality, positive variables and Educational Psychology. Felipe Novaes Brazil felipecarvalho.n@ Pontifical Catholic Department of Felipe Novaes is Professor of Psychology gmail.com University of Rio Psychology at Pontifical Catholic University of de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). His work focuses on Evolutionary Psychology, the relationship between ideology, culture and the psychological bases of scientific denialism. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 24 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Eliza Oliver Norway elizamaryoliver@ University of Oslo School of Eliza Oliver is the Research Manager https://orcid. gmail.com Psychology at the CREATE Centre at the org/0000-0001- University of Sydney, she is also a 9546-4091 provisonal psychologist and Master of Psychology (Clinical) candidate at the Australian Catholic University. Her research interests include clinical applications for the treatment and prevention of intimate partner violence as well as the role of the arts in mental health and wellbeing. Daniele Paolini Italy daniele.paolini@ Pegaso University Faculty of Human Daniele Paolini, PhD, is associate https://orcid. unipegaso.it Sciences, professor in Social Psychology at org/0000-0002- Education and Pegaso University, active member of 9479-4360 Sport national and international scientific associations, guest editor for special issues and ad-hoc reviewer in international multidisciplinary journals, author and co-author of several international scientific publications on Ostracism, prejudice, sexual identity and intergroup processes. Joonha Park Japan joonha35@gmail. Nagoya University of School of / / com Commerce and Management Business 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 25 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Dušana Šakan Serbia dusanasarcevic@ Union University, Department of Dušana Šakan is Assistant Professor at https://orcid. gmail.com Faculty of Law and Psychology Faculty of Law and Business Studies org/0000-0003- Business Studies dr Lazar Vrkatić in Novi Sad, Serbia 1087-2550 dr Lazar Vrkatić, where she teaches Educational Serbia Pschology and Psychology of Motivation. She earned PhD in Educational Psychology at University of Novi Sad in 2018. Her research is mostly related to the fields of education, motivation, well-being and development. Her recent interests are related to crosscultural research. Miriam Schwarzenthal Germany schwarzenthal@ University of School of Education Miriam Schwarzenthal is a junior https://orcid. uni-wupper- Wuppertal professor at the University of org/0000-0002- tal.de Wuppertal in Germany. Her research 6278-6227 focuses on intercultural competence and critical consciousness among secondary school students and (preservice) teachers, as well as the school diversity climate. Qian Sun China/UK sunqian@zjnu. Zhejiang Normal School of Qian Sun is a lecturer in psychology at https://orcid. edu.cn University Psychology Zhejiang Normal University. She org/0000-0002- obtained her Ph.D. in psychology 1346-2904 from the University of Essex (UK) and was a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at New York University Shanghai. Her research focuses on migrant families' and international students' acculturation and adaptation. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 26 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Thomas Talhelm US Thomas.Talhelm@ University of Chicago Booth School of Thomas Talhelm is an Associate https://orcid. ChicagoBooth. Business Professor of Behavioral Science at org/0000-0002- edu the University of Chicago Booth 0954-5758 School of Business. His studies how rice farming gave southern China a more interdependent culture than wheat-farming northern China. He also researchers how people fundamentally misunderstand what collectivism is. Robert Thomson Japan rob.thomson@ Hokusei Gakuen / Robert Thomson is associate professor https://orcid. hokusei.ac.jp University of Media and Communications org/0000-0001- at Hokusei Gakeun University in 7002-3257 Sapporo City, Japan. His research has a focus on cross-cultural differences in media behavior, particularly on the Internet. Arun Tipandjan India aruneps73@ International centre / / https://orcid. googlemail. for psychological org/0000-0002- com counseling and 8079-1871 social research Rongtian Tong US/China georgetong@ University of The Henry M. Rongtian Tong is a recent MA in https://orcid. rocketmail. Washington Jackson School International Studies graduate from org/0000-0003- com of International the University of Washington. He is 2611-069X Studies currently working on several research projects related to acculturation. His past publications have appeared in The Handbook of Intercultural Training (4th ed.), International Journal of Intercultural Relations, and Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology. 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License ZHOU et al. 27 of 28 APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Jorge Torres-Marín Spain jtorresmarin@ University of Granada Department of Jorge Torres-Marín has a PhD in https://orcid. ugr.es Research Psychology from the University org/0000-0001- Methods in of Granada (Spain). His research 7663-0699 Behavioral interests focus on humor and Sciences laughter, dark personality traits, test construction/adaptation, and data analysis. Shuang Wang Hong Kong, shuangwang. The Education Department of Shuang Wang is a PhD student at the / China zoe@gmail. University of Hong Psychology Education University of Hong Kong. com Kong Her current research interest focuses on how cultural factors, norms, and morality can affect the individual's judgement and behavior Liuqing Wei US weiliuqing Hubei University Department of Liuqing Wei is an assistant professor at https://orcid. 1985@126. Psychology Department of Psychology, Hubei org/0000-0001- com University, China. Her research 6488-7454 interests focus on cross-cultural psychology, such as norm tightness and people's health protective behaviors, relational mobility and subjective well-being, and mapping collectivism in China. Victoria Wai Yeung Hong Kong, vickiyeung@ Lingnan University Department of Victoria Yeung is a Full Professor at https://orcid. Lan China ln.edu.hk Psychology the Department of Psychology and org/0000-0002- the Associate Dean (Research and 3479-3198 Postgraduate Studies) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lingnan University. (Continues) 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 28 of 28 ZHOU et al. APPENDIX A  (Continued) Region of data First name Last name collection Email University name Department Brief 50 word bio Orcid Mahdi Yousefi China yousefi.mahdi@ Hainan Normal School of Literature Mahdi Yousefi is a research associate / gmail.com University at the School of Literature, Hainan Normal University, working on a national-level project on branding of Hainan Free Trade Port. He got his PhD in intercultural communication from Shanghai International Studies University. His research areas include international and intercultural communication and China-Middle East relations. Ananta Yudiarso Indonesia ananta@staff. Surabaya University Faculty of Ananta Yudiarso is a researcher and / ubaya.ac.id Psychology lecturer at Faculty of Psychology Surabaya University Surabaya Indonesia Masaki Yuki Japan myuki@let. Hokkaido University Department of Masaki Yuki is a professor of social and https://orcid. hokudai.ac.jp Behavioral cultural psychology at Hokkaido org/0000-0002- Science/Center University, Japan. He mainly focuses 4589-5616 for Experimental on how the characteristics of the Research in social environment, particularly Social Sciences relational mobility, affect the psychological and behavioral patterns of people who reside there. Xinyi Zhang China xinyizhang513@ Shanghai International Intercultural Zhang Xin Yi is a PhD student in the SISU / gmail.com Studies University Institute Intercultural Institute (SII) at Shanghai International Studies University. Her primary research areas and interests focus on cross-cultural adaptation and identity negotiaton of expats, international students, and overseas returnees. [Corrections added on 31 January 2024 after first online publication: The authors Hacer Belen’s affiliation has been updated and Adolfo Fabricio Licoa Campos ORCID has been included] 17519004, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12919 by Queensland University Of Technology, Wiley Online Library on [20/02/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License