Batja Mesquita

Career

Interested by the contrast between the ethnographic findings of marked cultural differences in emotions and psychological research that yielded universality, Mesquita set out to understand the role of culture in emotions. In an extensive literature review that appeared in Psychological Bulletin, she and Nico H. Frijda arrived at a synthesis of the research findings from different disciplines, which challenged the notion of universal basic emotions. They concluded that, while some aspects of emotions may be universal, other aspects are cross-culturally different. In later work, Mesquita found that cultural differences in emotions are systematic and meaningful, and can be understood from cultural differences in self and relationship models (e.g., Mesquita, 2003). The finding of systematic and meaningful cultural differences led Mesquita to formulate a socio-cultural theory of emotions. According to this theory, emotions emerge from interpersonal interactions that are bound and guided by cultural meanings and practices. Her current research focuses on unveiling the interpersonal processes that give rise to cross-culturally different emotions. In another line of research, Mesquita and her colleagues study the consequences of cultural differences in emotions for the multicultural society. They have yielded evidence for emotional acculturation: Emotions change as a result of contact with another culture. The work on acculturation shows the role of culture in producing and reproducing emotions, even beyond their initial socialization. It has also led to a cultural psychological theory of acculturation, in which ‘deep’ psychological processes, such as emotions, change upon contact with another culture. Mesquita’s research interests include the consequences of emotional misfit of immigrant minorities for their belonging to and inclusion in majority culture. The recently published book, Between Us, highlights precisely this theory. It combines a diversity of psychological research and intimate personal stories from different cultures. Notwithstanding, Between Us was nominated for The Next Big Idea. It was also part of the Behavioral Scientist's Summer Book List 2022 and reviewed by Science and The New Yorker.

In 2020, Batja received an Advanced Grant, funded by the European Research Council under the H2020 programme, for the project called EmotionAcculturation. The Advanced Grants support Principal Investigators that have established excellent research achievements. The project is responsible for investigating how emotions, as crucial interaction processes, reflect on immigrant minorities’ social inclusion and wellbeing.

Other positions and activities

• 1993-1994 consultant for UNICEF in Bosnia Herzegovina
• 1997-2002 assistant professor of psychology, Wake Forest University
• 2002-2007 associate professor of psychology, Wake Forest University
• 2015 expert panel on the cultural contexts of health and wellbeing, WHO Regional Office for Europe

Honors

• Society for Personality and Social Psychology Outstanding Contribution to Advances in Cultural Psychology Award, 2022
• Member of the National Committee of Psychological Sciences of the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium, 2019
• Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 2016-2017
• Member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium, 2015
• Fellow of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), 2009
• Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), 2008
• Fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), 2008
• Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), 2007
• Robert P. and Debra Lee Fellowship for outstanding faculty, WFU, 2005-2007
• Fellowship from the Royal Dutch Academy of Science, 1994-1997