V. Emotions and Culture
Some aspects of emotion are universal to all cultures, while other aspects differ across cultures.
Similarities Among Cultures
Ekman and his colleagues have found that people in different cultures can identify the six basic emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust. The physiological indicators of emotion are similar in people from different cultures.
Facial Expressions Are Innate
Both people who can see and people who have been blind since birth have similar facial expressions of emotions. This observation suggests that facial expressions are innate, since blind people could not have learned these expressions by observing others.
Differences Among Cultures
Although many emotions and expressions of emotions are universal, some differences exist among cultures:
Some aspects of emotion are universal to all cultures, while other aspects differ across cultures.
Similarities Among Cultures
Ekman and his colleagues have found that people in different cultures can identify the six basic emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust. The physiological indicators of emotion are similar in people from different cultures.
Facial Expressions Are Innate
Both people who can see and people who have been blind since birth have similar facial expressions of emotions. This observation suggests that facial expressions are innate, since blind people could not have learned these expressions by observing others.
Differences Among Cultures
Although many emotions and expressions of emotions are universal, some differences exist among cultures:
- Categories of emotions: People in different cultures categorize emotions differently. Some languages have labels for emotions that are not labeled in other languages.
- Prioritization of emotions: Different cultures consider different emotions to be primary.
- Different emotions evoked: The same situation may evoke different emotions in different cultures.
- Differences in nonverbal expressions: Nonverbal expressions of emotion differ across cultures, due partly to the fact that different cultures have different display rules. Display rules are norms that tell people whether, which, how, and when emotions should be displayed.
- Power of cultural norms: Cultural norms determine how and when to show emotions that are not actually felt. Acting out an emotion that is not felt is called emotion work.