Unconditional Aloha: A Methodological Reflection on the Cultural Framing of Love and Hate in Emotion Research

Emotion research has long sought to identify universal features of emotional life, often focusing on internal experiences through self-report. While self-report remains a critical method, it is increasingly important to examine the cultural and methodological assumptions underpinning its use. This paper reflects on the limitations and strengths of self-report when studying emotions in cultural contexts, particularly among Native Hawaiians. Emotions such as love and hate carry strong reputational weight, which interacts with social desirability and question framing to shape how participants respond. Drawing on two qualitative studies with Native Hawaiian participants, one focused on relational experiences and the other on cultural definitions, we illustrate how these dynamics unfolded in narrative and interview data. We conclude with recommendations for supplementing self-report data with culturally embedded sources, such as oral histories and traditional stories, which in Hawaiian culture reveal both love and hate as historically meaningful and socially regulated emotional forces.