Hyeeun Lee

This study examined the relationships among social media use for information, self-status seeking and socializing, body image, self-esteem, and psychological well-being, and some cultural effects moderating these relationships. Americans (n = 502) and Koreans (n = 518) completed an online survey. The main findings showed that (a) social media use for information about body image is negatively related to body satisfaction in the United States and Korea, while social media use for self-status seek

Parents play a vital role in mediating children's media use, especially at a young age. We examined the link between the media use of younger children and the media use, attitude toward media, and parenting styles of parents. One thousand and twenty parents of children between 4 and 6 years of age completed a questionnaire on their media use, positive and negative attitudes on media, parenting styles, and the media use of their children. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to analyz

Two studies investigated whether apologies or thanks are preferred in asking favors in the United States and Korea, and how this relates to perceptions of reduction in positive and negative face threats. In the first study (n = 224), participants composed an e-mail message where a favor was asked. In the second (n = 807), participants completed questionnaires including a prototypical e-mail for the situation described in Study 1, as well as measures of negative and positive face threats. Finding

We examined how witnessing fat talk on Facebook influenced the body satisfaction and psychological well-being of Korean and U.S. young women. Korean ( n = 137) and U.S. ( n = 159) women completed an online questionnaire after viewing a randomly assigned mock-up Facebook page where body size of the profile owner and the messages from her peers were manipulated. Findings showed that (a) Koreans witnessing an underweight peer's fat talk reported lower body satisfaction than did those witnessing an

Relationships among subordinates' feedback-seeking strategy preferences, Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), social cost, and source credibility were examined. Employees ( N = 134) of civil engineering companies in South Korea completed a questionnaire. Findings showed that LMX quality, social cost, and source credibility either independently or jointly influenced subordinates' feedback-seeking strategy preferences. LMX was positively related to preference for using direct strategies, but not signific

Three studies investigated whether apologies and thanks are used differently when asking favors in the United States and Japan and examined whether their use makes a favor asking message less face-threatening. In Study 1, participants ( N = 152) composed an email message for a favor asking situation. Next, participants in Study 2 ( N = 634) and Study 3 ( N = 417) completed one of four versions of a questionnaire regarding a prototype of an email message. Results showed that (a) more Japanese inc

Rapid urbanization has beset sustainable consumption. Although many countries are increasingly taking pro-environmental stances, most countries continue to have a low recycling rate and a high littering rate. This study examines the effect of temporal distance as a part of Construal-Level Theory and descriptive norms on pro- and contra-environmental behaviors (i.e., recycling and littering) cross-culturally. Participants were recruited from the United States and South Korea, and randomly assigne

This study examined how witnessing fat talk on Facebook affects individuals’ body satisfaction and psychological well-being, and investigated cultural differences in such effects between Americans and Japanese. Multi-ethnic American (N = 96) and Japanese (N = 103) female college students completed an online questionnaire after viewing one of four different Facebook profile mock-ups containing fat talk where the body size of the profile owner (underweight vs. overweight) and the messages from her

When booking hotels, travelers often rely on content created by other consumers to inform their decisions. This study examines the effect of consumer-generated photos of luxury hotels, specifically those that emphasize the quality of one’s experiences versus the quality of the hotel’s facilities, as well as the type of platform through which such photos are shared, such as social media versus review websites. Drawing on the Social Comparison Theory, this study aims to understand how these factor

Iron overload in the brain, defined as excess stores of iron, is known to be associated with neurological disorders. In neurodegeneration accompanied by brain iron accumulation, we reported a specific point mutation, c.974-1G>A in WD Repeat Domain 45 (WDR45), showing iron accumulation in the brain, and autophagy defects in the fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated whether fibroblasts with mutated WDR45 accumulated iron, and other effects on cellular organelles. We first identified the m

Purpose – This study aims to, first, identify how service perception can differ depending on the customers’ cultural background during intercultural encounters and, second, provide useful and specific directions of more culturally competent service interaction to restaurant managers and servers in US restaurants. Effective exchanges between service providers and international customers are important to ensure the success of restaurants. While frequently and explicitly checking in on customers is