Self-reported expression and experience of triumph across four countries

Recent studies have suggested the existence of the emotion of triumph by documenting how its nonverbal signals are displayed and identified across cultures. The current study contributes to this literature by providing additional convergent evidence about the expression of triumph by examining self-reported expressions of triumph from participants from Japan, Russia, Serbia, and the U.S. Self-reported behavioral expressions of triumph were consistent with three factors previously found to be associated with the triumph expression (Expansion, Aggression, Attention), with the exception of a finding on one scale in one country. The Japanese were prone to report greater regulation compared to the experience of triumph, whereas Americans and Serbians reported relatively greater experience compared to regulation. Across countries, Aggression was positively correlated with self-reported experience. The self-reported expressions of triumph partially corresponded with nonverbal reactions that had been identified as triumph in previous research.