From words to worlds: Cultural (mis)fit in the emotional contexts of Belgians and Turkish newcomers

This study explored how cultures shape emotional contexts and tested whether immigrant minorities’ fit with majority contexts relates to their (mis)fit in emotions. We analyzed interview data collected between 2020 and 2022 from Turkish newcomers in Belgium (N = 101) and Dutch-speaking Belgians (N = 100), who described and rated recent emotional events. Using topic modeling, we identified themes representing recurrent contexts. Qualitative comparisons revealed systematic cultural contrasts in how emotional experiences were contextualized, even when both groups referred to similar life domains (e.g., family, work, education). Turkish narratives centered on migration and structured interdependence, characterized by social obligations, support, and emotional expressiveness, whereas Belgian narratives emphasized daily logistics and communication, with a focus on mutual understanding and emotional control. We then quantified how closely individuals’ contextual and emotional patterns resembled those typical of their cultural group, which we refer to as fit in context and fit in emotions. Quantitative comparisons of fit scores confirmed that each group fit better with their own culture’s contextual pattern than with that of the other, reflecting culturally distinct emotional ecologies. However, fit in context was unrelated to fit in emotions, suggesting that people may share emotional patterns yet inhabit distinct emotional worlds. Thus, cultural fit extends beyond what people feel to where and when those feelings arise. By integrating natural language methods with cross-cultural emotion research, this study offers conceptual and methodological advances.