A Strategic Approach to Uniqueness Seeking in Collectivistic Cultures

People in collectivistic cultures have been characterized as being low in uniqueness seeking. However, we find evidence that people in collectivistic cultures are more likely to pursue uniqueness in certain situations compared to those in individualistic cultures. Findings from five preregistered studies (N = 1,986) revealed that compared to those in individualistic cultures, people in collectivistic cultures exhibited a more strategic approach to uniqueness seeking: they were more likely to pursue uniqueness or think others would pursue uniqueness in situations where being unique might confer benefits. Moreover, when being unique did not confer benefits, those in collectivistic cultures exhibited similar levels of uniqueness seeking behavior to those in individualistic cultures. We also found that those in collectivistic cultures did not exhibit lower levels of generic (rather than strategic) preferences for uniqueness. Thus, our findings suggest that in general, people in collectivistic cultures are not lower on uniqueness seeking compared to those in individualistic cultures and can be more highly motived to pursue uniqueness in situations where strategic considerations are prevalent. Overall, our research offers a novel perspective for understanding uniqueness seeking across situations and cultures.