02/09/2021 - Week 6: Differences in Emotional Expressivity

Does everyone express emotions in the same way? Studies had shown that most of our emotions are expressed in the same way, independent of our culture. Even though, the way we allow them to appear in public can and is impacted by your cultural background.

What does that mean? It means that some cultures allow more expressivity about how we feel in our speech and interactions in public, while others may “block” it subconsciously.

Cultures with a higher expressivity tolerance tend to accept more emotions in their speech and behavior and express more their feelings in public concerning what is presented (remember the Mexican telenovelas?). They may even speak dynamically and use more emphasis and other strategies to express their emotions strongly while they speak.

On the other hand, cultures with a low expressivity tolerance do not accept a lot of public showing of emotions, like expressions of disgust and sadness or even holding hands with your loved one. People from these cultures tend to hide it more in public, reacting more calmly and constantly instead of following the rush of emotions.

This can vary from country to country and even from one state to the other, and it follows more like a scale than two well-divided groups. Those changes are a normal part of the multicultural and diverse world we live in, but without recognizing the differences, we may wrongly judge them.

The first group is constantly misinterpreted by the second as aggressive, less disciplined, and even less civilized, with no control over their emotions. While the second group can be judged as boring and shallow, to believe they feel superior over other cultures to express their emotions.

All of these judgments are wrong. None of them are being shallow or aggressive, they are just corresponding to the expectations of their own culture. Because it is hard that those tolerances change in society, since is passed subconsciously, we have to understand the differences, research, and learn how to deal with them so we can have greater interaction between cultures, especially if you are a teacher or interact constantly with them. Dealing with them is key to avoid miscommunications.

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