Sequential dynamics of culturally moderated facial expressions of emotion.
There is consensus that when emotions are aroused, the displays of those emotions are either universal or culture-specific. We investigated the idea that an individual's emotional displays in a given context can be both universal and culturally variable, as they change over time. We examined the emotional displays of Olympic athletes across time, classified their expressive styles, and tested the association between those styles and a number of characteristics associated with the countries the athletes represented. Athletes from relatively urban, individualistic cultures expressed their emotions more, whereas athletes from less urban, collectivistic cultures masked their emotions more. These culturally influenced expressions occurred within a few seconds after initial, immediate, and universal emotional displays. Thus, universal and culture-specific emotional displays can unfold across time in an individual in a single context.
Matsumoto
David
D
Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132, USA. dm@sfsu.edu
Willingham
Bob
B
Olide
Andres
A
D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population