Emotional Similarity Between Immigrants and Host Societies: The Link to Intergroup Relations and Well‐Being

ABSTRACT Emotional similarity—an overlap in emotional experience with other people—fosters a better understanding of others' emotions and an accurate perception of others' intentions and motivations. Consequently, it may contribute to improved relations with others as well as one's well‐being. We examined this idea in the context of intergroup relations. We tested whether the higher emotional similarity of immigrants to the majority group is linked to immigrants' lower prejudice toward host society members, meta‐prejudice (i.e., individuals' perception of what other groups feel about their group), and higher self‐categorization (i.e., a process in which people categorize themselves as a part of the outgroup) as well as their higher psychological and relational well‐being. To this end, we conducted three correlational studies (N Study1 = 141; N Study2 = 150; N Study3 = 161) using a correlational profile method; and three experimental studies (N Study 4 = 181; N Study5 = 198; N Study6 = 95), where we manipulated emotional similarity as a state in real‐time by exposing participants to anger‐eliciting news stories. In line with our expectations, higher emotional similarity was related to lower meta‐prejudice, higher self‐categorization, and higher relational and psychological well‐being in the correlational studies. We found no support for our hypotheses in the experimental studies.