A Slice of Home

When living in a foreign country, cultural immersion is key to adjusting. But for those having a difficult time, reminders of home can help, research in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests. In one experiment, a group of American exchange students in China who were treated to an American dessert (apple pie) reported feeling more comfortable with locals afterward than those who received a Chinese dessert (mango pudding). In a longer study, Chinese study-abroad students with relatively high levels of insecurity were asked to write about one of two things: Hong Kong icons, like Victoria Harbor and The Peak, or symbols of their current host country. The students who focused on their home country reported, on average, better adjustment during their stay and more positive impressions post-trip.

Such reminders of home can help dislocated people feel “more settled, comfortable, and secure,” says Jeanne Ho-Ying Fu, a psychologist at City University of Hong Kong, and can also embolden them to take risks in adapting to a foreign culture.

Credit: McDonald's sign by hxdbzxy/Shutterstock.com