People express emotions not only through speech but also through nonverbal
behavior, or body language. Nonverbal behavior includes facial expressions,
postures, and gestures.
The Basic Emotions
The psychologist Paul Ekman and his colleagues have
identified six basic emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and
disgust. Worldwide, most people can identify the facial expressions that
correspond to these emotions.
The Facial-Feedback Hypothesis
Some researchers have proposed that the brain uses feedback from facial
muscles to recognize emotions that are being experienced. This idea is known as
the facial-feedback hypothesis. It follows from this hypothesis
that making the facial expression corresponding to a particular emotion can make
a person feel that emotion. Studies have shown that this phenomenon does indeed
occur.
For example, if people smile and try to look happy, they will feel
happiness to some degree.
Gender Differences
Some research suggests that the genders differ in how much emotion they
express. In North America, women appear to display more emotion than men. Anger
is an exception—men tend to express anger more than women, particularly toward
strangers.
This gender difference in expressiveness is not absolute. It depends on
gender roles, cultural norms, and context:
- For both men and women, having a nontraditional gender role leads to
increased emotional expressiveness.
- In some cultures, women and men are equally expressive.
- In some contexts, men and women do not differ in expressiveness. For
example, neither men nor women are likely to express anger toward someone
more powerful than themselves.
