Association of Culture with Shyness among Japanese and American University Students

Previous cross-cultural studies of shyness have generally reported a higher level of shyness among adults in Japan than in the United States. This study examined two aspects of culture potentially related to different levels of shyness among the Americans and the Japanese: complementary relationship orientation, a tendency to maximize the status difference during communication, and family interdependence, a dependent tendency between a child and a parent. The survey included the 13-item version of Cheek's Shyness Scale and Sakuragi's Complementary Relationship Orientation Scale, and the Family Interdependence Scale. Analysis of responses by 166 American university students (76 men, 90 women) and 187 Japanese (81 men, 106 women) indicated that complementary relationship orientation was significantly related to shyness for both the Americans and the Japanese. No significant relationship, however, was found between scores on family interdependence and shyness.