Emotions
Emotions
Do people express the same emotions across
cultures? Are there universal emotions?
Are there similarities in situations under which
people experience emotions?
Do we all share in the same meaning of emotion?
Emotions
Emotion Expression and Perception
Experiences and Antecedents of Emotion
Concept of Emotion
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Emotions
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Experience of emotion is awareness of
physiological responses to emotion-arousing
stimuli.
Perception of stimulus: CCP Exam 3
Arousal: Pounding heart
Emotion: Fear
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
CCP EXAM 3
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Fear
(emotion)
Emotions
Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
To experience emotion one must:
Be physically aroused
Cognitively label the arousal
Perception of stimulus (CCP EXAM 3)
Arousal (pounding heart) & Cognitive Label (“I’m
afraid”)
Emotion (fear)
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Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
CCP EXAM 3
(perception of
stimulus)
Fear
(emotion)
Cognitive
label
“I’m afraid”
Emotions
Mainstream Psychology
Emotions are universal and innate
Darwin
Biologically innate
Evolutionarily adaptive
universality
Ekman and Izard
Test universal assumption of emotions
Emotions: Facial Expressions
Facial expressions = what emotions?
Darwin noted:
Facial expressions from other animals seemed
to parallel those made by humans.
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“In a placid condition.”
“Head of a snarling dog.”
“When pleased by being
caressed.”
“Disappointed and sulky.”
Emotions
Universality Studies (Ekman)
Participants shown pictures and then asked
to label each expression.
1) Photos
U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan *
2) Photos
preliterate tribes of New Guinea
3) Replicate emotions
New Guinea and U.S.*
4) Highly stressful stimuli
U.S. and Japan
Found
fear, happiness, surprise, sadness,
anger, disgust
“Your friend has come
and you are happy.”
“You are angry and
about to fight.”
“Your child has died
and you are sad.”
“You see a dead pig that has
been lying there for a long
time.”
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93
82
88
81
72
76
Emotions
Universality Studies
1. Facial expressions of emotions
and biologically innate.
universal
2. People born with the capacity to express the
exact same set of emotions in the same ways.
3. The conditions or events under which people
experience these emotions believed to be similar.
Emotions
Cross-Cultural Variations in Facial
Expressions
More accuracy in recognizing facial expressions by people
from own culture vs. those made by from other cultures.
About 58% of recognition of facial expressions reflects
culturally universal expressions.
About 9% recognition of facial expressions reflects
culturally specific expressions.
Even subtle “emotional accents” are evident in
comparisons of quite similar cultures (Marsh & Ambady, 2005).
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Emotion Expression
Cultural Variations
Display Rules
The rules governing the expression of universal
emotions are culturally embedded.
Situation
same emotions, the conditions emotions
are expressed differ by culture.
Intensity
same emotions but expressions differ by
culture.
Ritualized Displays
Expressions that are not made universally.
Emotion Expression
McConatha, Lightner, & Deaner (1993):
Compared
American and British participants on
emotional control.
Found
American women displayed more
inhibition in emotional expression vs. British women.
Found
American men displayed more rehearsal.
Emotion Expression
Stephan, Stephan, & de Vargas (1996):
Compared emotion expressions of Americans
and Costa Ricans.
Found
Costa Ricans comfortable in expressing
emotions to family members, strangers.
Found
Americans more comfortable
expressing emotions to family members than to
strangers.
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Emotion Expression
Tsai & Chentsova-Dutton (2003):
E.A.
Scandinavian cultures
Emotional moderation and control.
“Don’t affect neighborly relations”
E.A.
Irish culture
Emotional expression
Expressions of suffering and tragedy, use of
laughter and humor to communicate feelings.
Emotion Expression
Bates, Edwards, and Anderson (1993):
Patients
Italian and Jewish background
Reported pain more openly vs. those of Irish
and Anglo backgrounds.
Older individuals vs. younger individuals
Reported greater emotional expression.
Emotion Expression
Cross-Cultural Research
Strong evidence facial expressions are largely
universal with a smaller culturally-learned component.
The degree of variations in expression of emotions
related to display rules and ritualized displays.
Suggests that emotions are influenced by both
biological factors and cultural factors.
More evidence for cultural variability with the
experiences of emotions.
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Emotion Experiences
Kitayama & Markus (1994); Shweder (1994)
Emotions
a set of “socially shared scripts” that
consists of physiological, behavioral, and subjective
components.
Inextricably intertwined relationship between
culture and emotion.
Emotions can’t be biologically “fixed” for all people.
Emotion Experiences
Are there differences in the intensity with which people
report experiencing emotions?
You go to a restaurant:
Food is superb, prices are low, service is terrible.
You wait 15 minutes and the server hasn’t come to your table.
Options:
1) Express anger to the manager, 2) Suppress outward signs of anger.
3) Distract self from anger, 4) Generate less angry appraisal.
Results:
1) European-Canadians
Options 3 or 4.
Option 1. 2) Chinese-Canadians
The Chinese-Canadians systolic blood pressure returned to
baseline levels after the anger induction more quickly vs. EuroCanadians.
Suggests that the Chinese-Canadians experienced their anger
less intensely.
Source: Anderson & Linden (2006)
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Antecedents of Emotion
Emotion Antecedents
Events or situations that trigger an emotion.
Birth, Death, Marriage, Separation
Antecedents of Emotion
Similarities in Emotion Antecedents
Happiness
Relationships w/ friends
Temporary meetings w/ friends
Achievement situations
Anger
Relationships
Injustice
Sadness
Relationships
Death
Antecedents of Emotion
Differences in Emotion Antecedents
Manifest content
the actual situation or event
Latent content
the psychological meaning
associated with the manifest content
Funeral
Funeral
loss of a loved one = produces sadness
higher spiritual goal = produces happiness
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Antecedents of Emotion
Emotion
Universal Underlying
Psychological Theme
Happiness
Anger
Sadness
Disgust
Fear
Accomplishing a goal
Being prevented from goal
Kept from something you want
Sickened by something
Sensing danger by unexpected
Happiness
What is happiness?
Having pleasure, engagement, and meaning.
Subjective well-being
Good mental states, positive and negative evaluations
we make about our lives and our affective reactions to
experiences.
How satisfied people are with their lives.
Factors related to subjective-well being
Wealth
Human rights
OECD, 2013; Seligman, 2002
Happiness
International happiness research
Japan least happy
karoshi
ichariba-chode (Okinawa): "Once we meet, we
become brothers and sisters"
Denmark as happiest
Free college and healthcare
Large number of people live in cohousing
Bhutanese
Gross National Happiness
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Language of Emotion
Concept of Emotion
Does the concept of emotion exist in all cultures?
Tahitians
Ifaluks of Micronesia
Does the concept of emotion have the same
meaning across cultures?
Internal, subjective feelings
Chewong of Malaysia
The term may be different but its difficult to measure
Language of Emotion
Categorization of Emotion
Differences
Schadenfreude
Pleasure from other’s misfortunes
Itoshii
Longing for an absent loved one
Song
Anger and sadness
Alofa
Love and pity
Liget
Anger, passion, and energy
Language of Emotion
Location of Emotion
U.S.
Emotions are in the heart
Chewong
Feelings are in the liver
Tahitians
Emotions are in the intestines
Japanese
Emotions are in the gut
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Emotions
Do people express the same emotions across cultures?
Are there universal emotions?
Are there similarities in situations under which people
experience emotions?
Do we all share in the same meaning of emotion?
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