Question

How does culture influence the expression of emotions?

Answer 1

Culture influences the expression of emotions by shaping the gestures that vary among different societies. Facial expressions are the most common form of expressing emotions. While interaction, the Latin Americans and Southern Europeans direct their gaze to the interactant, Asians, on the other hand, prefer a peripheral gaze. Gesture and proximal movement are shaped to convey emotions non-verbally and are variable from culture to culture. For example, a handclap in China is an expression of worry or disappointment, whereas, anger is expressed by laughter. Silence is also seen as culturally bound. In India, silence is sometimes used to express deep emotions while it may convey embarrassment in Western countries.