Emotions are responses of the brain and the body. Start studying Psych Chapter 9. Cultural scripts dictate how positive and negative emotions should be experienced and displayed; they may also guide how people choose to regulate their emotions, ultimately influencing an individual’s emotional experience. Cross-cultural differences in emotional arousal level have consistently been found. What are some ways that culture influences emotions? In his 1872 book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, famed naturalist Charles Darwin argued that human expressions of emotion were both innate and universal across cultures. Explain how the affective states of guilt, empathy, and personal distress influence helping. Differences in gender and culture are found to have significant influences in how humans respond to stressors and stressful situations. An emotion is generally considered a transient feeling state that is usually about one particular object. In Western culture, people try to influence others. 4. Although many emotions and expressions of emotions are universal, some differences exist among many cultures. These differences require a deeper understanding in order for a person to learn how he responds to stress, and whether his stress response is still healthy or not. Gender identity and culture share a strong connection as they affect daily life not only in the home and family but also in the workplace and community. Empirical Applications. These cultural differences are explained by the distinct characteristics of individualist and collectivist cultures. Stereotypes are powerful, and men and women from various cultures have been shown to accept the western stereotype that women are more emotional than men. Lesson Summary. So, how does culture influence emotion perception? Cross-cultural differences in emotional arousal level have consistently been found. Culture shapes the ideas of what behaviors are acceptable for men and women as well as what behaviors are appropriate between men and women. Though there are some variances from culture to culture, most have some type of labor division that signifies what tasks or jobs are appropriate for a man vs. those that are appropriate for women. Emotional display rules in psychology are a code for how we should express our emotions. All of us have emotions. In 1999, he expanded this list to include a number of other basic emotions, including embarrassment, excitement, contempt, shame, pride, satisfaction, and amusement. Gender roles are associated with a certain position within a household that frames different patterns of decision processes, for instance decisions regarding education. The topic of gender and emotional expression seeks to identify the differences between women and men and the various ways in which they express their emotions. A “cultural display rule” is a culturally specific standard that governs the types and frequencies of emotional displays considered acceptable by a given culture. Women display greater sadness or anxiety than men, while men show an increase in blood pressure and a tendency toward alcohol craving.