Emotion and Culture

1. Emotion and Culture Ch 13 sec 2

2. Objectives • Emotion and culture • Communicating emotion • Gender and emotion

3. chapter 13 Culture and emotion Culture determines what people feel angry, sad, lonely, happy, ashamed or disgusted about. Some cultures have words for specific emotions unknown to other cultures.. E.g., schadenfreude Some cultures don’t have words for emotions that seem universal to others. Tahitian and sadness Differences in secondary emotions appear to be reflected in differences in languages.

4. Story time! • Young wife leaves home one morning to draw water from well, husband watches from porch • Male stranger stops her, and asks for water, she gives it to him invites to dinner. He accepts • Husband, wife, stranger eat pleasant meal together

5. Story continued • Husband in gesture of hospitality, invites guest to stay the night- with his wife • Guest excepts • In the mourning husband leaves to get breakfast • When he returns, finds stranger with wife again • What point does the husband get angry?

6. Depends on culture • North American husband- wife has extra marital affair • N.A. wife angry if offered up like a lamb chop • However reactions not universal • Pawnee husband of 19th century enraged about water • Ammassalik Inuit- honorable to offer wife but only once • Toda husband in India not angry at all…but need to announce affair, no sneaky affairs

7. How culture shapes emotions • Germans have schadenfreude – feeling of joy at others misfortune • “ glad it didn’t happen to me” Gigi • Japanese speak of hagaii- Helpless with anguish • Tahitians have mehameha, a trembling sensation that Tahitians feel when ordinary categories of perception are suspended • All can feel emotions, but cultures more likely to feel ones they name • Most psychologists believe all humans share primary emotions

8. Communicating emotions • Display rules are social and cultural rules that regulates when, how, and where a person may express (or suppress) emotions; grief =weeping, tearless resignation, drink & dance • Body language is nonverbal signals of body movement, posture, gesture, and gaze; UT Texas something diff Italy (mans wife unfaithful) • Emotion work is an expression of an emotions, often because of a role requirement, that a person does not really feel • Job requirement- flight attendant, waitress= happy face • Bill collector, bouncer= menacing but feel sorry

9. chapter 13 Rules of emotional regulation Display rules When, where, and how emotions are to be expressed or when they should be squelched Emotion work Acting out an emotion we do not feel or trying to create the right emotion for the occasion Body language The nonverbal signals of body movement, posture, and gaze that people constantly express

10. Gender and emotion • The sexes do not differ in how they feel the range of everyday emotions • North american women are more verbally and nonverbally expressive than men- smiles and talk more about their emotions • Men are more likely to express anger at strangers- only emotion more likely in men • Women more likely emotional disturbances= Panic Disorders, depression

11. chapter 13 Gender and emotion In North America women. . . smile more than men. gaze at listeners more. have more emotionally expressive faces. use more expressive body movements. touch others more. acknowledge weakness and emotions more. Compared to women, men only express anger to strangers more.

12. Situations can override gender rules • Both sexes are less expressive to a person of higher status • World series, super bowl= both cheer, boo • Both sexes do “emotion work” associated with their jobs • Some situations foster emotion in everyone • Gender differences vary across culture

13. chapter 13 Factors influencing emotional expressiveness Gender roles Cultural norms The specific situation

14. Summary • Emotion culture • Communicating emotions • Gender and emotion