World Cultures eJournal

Based on the Daoist/Taoist model of water-like (or wateristic) personality features (Lee, 2003, 2004), four hypotheses were derived with a focus on altruism and modesty. A total of 122 Chinese college students and 106 American college students participated in this cross-cultural study. It was found (1) that American college students were more altruistic than Chinese counterparts; (2) that levels of modesty were more trait-specific than culture-specific; and (3) that Chinese participants were more altruistic and receptive toward outgroup members or outsiders (e.g., aliens) than American counterparts in uncertain situations. Theoretical implications are also discussed.