It's Not Just Whether You Win Or Lose,It's also Where You Play the Game

Abstract

The positivity bias-the tendency to make internal attributions for others' successes and external attributions for others' failures-was examined in newspaper sports articles from the United States and Hong Kong. The positivity bias was observed in both cultures; however, the cultures manifested this bias differently. There was a greater emphasis on enhancing winners (making internal attributions for successes) in the United States and on protecting losers (making external attributions for failures) in Hong Kong. The concept of preserving others' face as a universal social motivation may provide an explanation for the cross-cultural consistency of the positivity bias. East-West differences in attributional tendencies and in the values of independence versus interdependence may explain cross-cultural differences in the expression of this bias.