Figure 7.4.1: The Dalai Lama greeting US President Obama
Whether you are traveling overseas for work or transferring to a new college across the country, it helps to prepare yourself to manage the inevitable feelings of culture shock. The photo above—President Obama greeting the Dalai Lama—captures a moment of mutual respect across cultures, reminding us that even high-profile leaders navigate unfamiliar customs and perspectives with grace. Review the tips below to help you prepare in advance and manage feelings of discomfort associated with culture shock.
Understand that Culture Shock Exists: One of the best remedies for managing culture shock starts with simply understanding that culture shock exists. Culture shock can catch us by surprise. We feel emotions that we don't expect or are novel to us. When we realize that culture shock exists, we have an explanation for the emotional turmoil caused by culture shock. If we don't know about culture shock, we are left wondering, "What's happening to me," which can be profoundly unsettling.
Learn about the New Culture in Advance: Culture shock, by definition, is the stress and anxiety we experience when we are in unfamiliar territory. Therefore, if we learn more about the host country, we may begin to have an understanding of the different norms and customs in our new environment. If we know we will be traveling, we should do our homework. There are countless guidebooks and websites that discuss different cultural tendencies exhibited by people of different nations. For example, cultureready.org has country-specific information on greetings, communication style, gender issues, law and order, dress, socializing, business basics, and gift giving, to name just a few.
Learn Key Phrases: When travelling, it can be extremely helpful to know some key words and phrases to help you navigate the new culture. Words and phrases such as “hello”, “thank you”, “where is…”, and “help” can all be extremely helpful in the moment. Not only does this help your comfort level, but knowing a few key phrases demonstrates to locals that you care to learn a little about their language and culture. Beyond that, technology is our friend, and tools such as Google Translate can help us navigate our new surroundings.
Develop Relationships: A common coping mechanism when confronting culture shock is to turn inward and isolate oneself from the host culture. Some people may choose to stay in their rooms all day instead of interacting with others. A better approach is to develop friendships or acquaintances with the locals. To illustrate, in Chengdu, China, there are certain locations called English corners, where people gather to practice English. Visiting American students who go to the English corners are surrounded by local Chinese people who invite them to their homes, take them out for meals, and show them the hidden jewels of the city that they otherwise may never encounter.
Student Voice
In my opinion, culture shock can be experienced even without crossing any international borders. My experience with culture shock happened without even leaving my home state of California. I grew up in a predominantly Latinx community in East Los Angeles where my high school was 98% Latinx. This culturally homogeneous environment shaped my expectations for social interactions. I lived in a reality where my identity was the default, Spanish was spoken as freely as English, and our high-context communication style meant that cultural cues, such as food or family dynamics, were always understood without explanation.
When I transferred to UC San Diego (UCSD), that protective bubble was shattered. I was suddenly placed into an environment where the Latinx population made up less than 20% of the total student body. This drastic demographic shift triggered an intense period of culture shock. I began to feel anxious, isolated, and disoriented, feelings which I later realized were a part of the Affective dimension of the ABC model of Culture Shock, which describes the emotional toll of adapting to a new environment. While walking into large lecture halls with over 300 students, I experienced the Cognitive dissonance of being an outsider in a space that was supposed to be my new home. I just didn't miss my old friends; I missed my protective cultural bubble where I didn't have to explain or perform my identity.
For the first few weeks, I was stuck in the “Crisis” stage of the W-Curve Adjustment Model. I began questioning my decision to attend UCSD and I felt like I didn't belong. However, looking back through the lens of Kim's Stress Adaptation-Growth Model, I now see this stress as a necessary catalyst. It forced me to stop being passive and start searching for connections. This adjustment phase began when I discovered cultural centers such as M.E.Ch.A (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) and the Raza Resource Centro.
I was venturing through a massive and diverse campus where I felt invisible and disconnected. This was until I accidentally stumbled upon the Raza Resource Centro, a cultural resource center I didn’t even know existed. Walking through the doors, I was met with the inviting smell of warm pan dulce and the familiar sound of Vicente Fernandez playing softly in the background. This provided the "cultural mirror" I had lost. Finding this space, alongside organizations such as M.E.Ch.A didn’t just offer friends; it reassured me and offered validation for my cultural identity This experience taught me that culture shock isn't just about geography; it’s about belonging. Overcoming this challenge was never about assimilating with UCSD's dominant culture, it was about integrating into it and finding spaces that allowed me to fully be myself while succeeding in a new environment. To other students facing a similar situation, I would say: feeling isolated is a normal part of the process, and finding your community is key to turning those feelings into growth!
Daniel Oritiz, California Community College Student
Balance Familiarity and Exploration: Life in the new culture may feel more comfortable if you find a way to strike a balance between familiarity and exploration. Pursuing your existing interests, like finding a local gym if you're into fitness, can create a comforting routine and help you feel grounded in a new environment. At the same time, diving into new experiences, such as taking a cooking class on local cuisine, opens the door to cultural connection and personal growth. This blend of the known and the novel helps build confidence, fosters meaningful relationships, and transforms the unfamiliar into something exciting and enriching.
Learn to Tolerate Ambiguity: When we enter an unfamiliar culture, we confront situations that we just don't understand. We may not understand the language people use when speaking to us. We might not understand the behavior of the locals, the significance of ceremonies, etc. To better manage culture shock, we need to learn to tolerate ambiguity. You can frustrate yourself to no end if you need to have explanations for everything happening all around you, all the time. By tolerating ambiguity, we become more comfortable with knowing that there is so much happening that we just don't understand, and that's okay. Intercultural communication Professor Tom Grothe notes that one of his “favorite examples comes from traveling in rural Tibet. It was common for children to approach me and stick out their tongues at first greeting. I had no idea why this kept happening to me. Later, I learned that this was a common greeting. According to Tibetan folklore, a cruel ninth-century Tibetan king had a black tongue, so people stuck out their tongues to show that they were not like him (and aren't his reincarnation).”
Reduce Uncertainty: humans have a natural desire to reduce uncertainty in any given situation. When traveling through unfamiliar cultures, the increased levels of uncertainty can leave people feeling insecure. This insecurity is often projected outward and can manifest in disparaging the norms of the host culture. It is easy to compare our home culture with the unknown, and this can lead to ethnocentric thinking. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to evaluate other groups according to the values and standards of one's own ethnic group, especially with the conviction that one's own ethnic group is superior to the other groups (dictionary.com). The best advice for managing culture shock is to be mindful of ethnocentrism and suspend ethnocentric evaluations.
Figure 7.4.2: Outdoor market in Chengdu, China (CC BY; Tom Grothe)
Spotlight on Social Media
Imagine landing in a new country, your brain buzzing with jet lag and your heart racing from unfamiliar sights, sounds, and social norms. Culture shock is real—but guess what? Your phone might just be your secret weapon. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit can help bridge cultural gaps by offering instant access to local trends, language tips, and even memes that decode social behavior. According to Fioravanti et al. (2021), social media can ease the transition by fostering a sense of belonging and reducing feelings of isolation. Roberts and David (2019) also found that social media intensity can positively impact social connection, especially when users engage with culturally relevant content. But before you scroll your way to cultural enlightenment, beware of the dark side: FOMO. The fear of missing out can creep in when you see friends back home living their best lives without you. A scoping review by Groenestein et al. (2024) highlights how FOMO can negatively affect psychological well-being, especially when digital comparisons become constant. So yes, social media can be a lifeline—but use it wisely. Stay curious, stay grounded, and remember: your journey is uniquely yours, not just a highlight reel.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever used social media to learn about a new culture—maybe through food videos, travel vlogs, or memes? What did you discover, and how did it shape your understanding? Think about a time when social media made you feel more connected—or more left out. What helped you stay grounded in your own experience?
- If you were landing in a new country tomorrow, which social media platform would you turn to first—and what would you hope to find there?
Contributions and Attributions
Language and Culture in Context: A Primer on Intercultural Communication, by Robert Godwin-Jones. Provided by LibreTexts. License: CC-BY-NC
Intercultural Communication for the Community College, by Karen Krumrey-Fulks. Provided by LibreTexts. License: CC-BY-NC-SA
Exploring Intercultural Communication, by Tom Grothke. Provided by LibreTexts. License: CC-BY-NC-SA
