To Disclose or Not to Disclose? Benefits in Rich Cultural Identity Hobby Disclosure

Abstract: Across five preregistered studies (total N ≈ 2,300), this research examines how East Asians’ identity expressions in U.S. professional contexts surprisingly fosters the perceptions of authenticity, humanness, trustworthiness, and inclusion. Compared to sharing mainstream American hobbies, which may signal acculturation and Americanness, culturally expressive disclosures that signals their country of origin lead to authenticity, humanization, and trustworthiness perceptions which lead to more inclusive behaviors. These effects illuminate how cultural identity expression, even though believed to perpetuate the foreignness stereotype, leads to more positive perceptions for East Asians in America.

Keywords: self disclosure, identity signaling, authenticity