Cross-cultural psychology evaluates how cultural factors influence people’s behaviour and mental processes. Cross-cultural psychology aims to understand individual differences and commonalities, and to develop an appreciation, respect, and knowledge of cultures distinct from one’s own. Compassion refers to the emotional response of understanding, empathising with, and desiring to alleviate or reduce the suffering or distress of others. Compassion involves noticing the pain or difficulties another person is experiencing and being motivated to help, often characterised by acts of kindness, support, and caring. This entry paper explores the intersection of these two concepts, illustrating how insights from cross-cultural psychology can contribute to fostering compassion.

This short report presents an international research group, Research Ensemble for Advancement in Cross-cultural Healthcare (REACH). REACH is an independent research group, and no one is paid to do research for REACH. All members participate because they are intrinsically motivated to pursue cross-cultural healthcare. REACH consists of 28 healthcare workers and educators from 13 countries, researching about cross-cultural issues in healthcare (18 publications on average per year as of February 2024). REACH is multi-disciplinary, synthesising knowledge from areas such as cross-culture, mental health, psychotherapy, psychology, nursing, disabilities, education, and organisational management. We anonymously asked ourselves what the strengths and challenges of REACH were, and thematically analysed the input. Strengths were a sense of community and growth. Challenges were different time zones and practices. We hope our insights will help international researchers organise an international research group.