In humans, the emotion system is influenced by both biol- ogy (e.g., the availability of a facial muscula- ture that can produce an array of appearance changes) and culture (e.g., the rules, traditions, and beliefs concerning how and when to use these muscles to reveal or conceal how we feel).
Table of Contents
What is the relationship between emotion and culture?
Culture constrains how emotions are felt and expressed in a given cultural context. It shapes the ways people should feel in certain situations and the ways people should express their emotions.
How are emotions connected to biological influences?
Scientists believe that emotions arose in higher organisms because they helped them survive. Problems with biological systems that regulate the emotions often have precisely the opposite effect: having major depression or chronic, acute anxiety makes daily survival that much more difficult.
Why our emotions are cultural?
We find that emotions are not universal but vary from culture to culture. They are not triggered; you create them. They emerge as a combination of the physical properties of your body, a flexible brain that wires itself to whatever environment it develops in, and your culture and upbringing.
Are emotions biological or cultural?
However, emotion is not only biologically determined, but is also influenced by the environment. Therefore, cultural differences exist in some aspects of emotions, one such important aspect of emotion being emotional arousal level.
Are emotions biologically based?
Based on years of research, early emotion scientists gravitated towards a theory of universality: Emotions are innate, biologically driven reactions to certain challenges and opportunities, sculpted by evolution to help humans survive.
Why is it important to understand cultural similarities and differences in emotion?
In addition to averting cultural miscommunications, recognizing cultural similarities and differences in emotion may provide insights into other paths to psychological health and well-being.
Are emotions cross cultural?
Research on cultural differences in the decoding of emotions generally concludes that so-called basic emotions, which include both anger and sadness, are indeed recognized across cultures at above chance levels (Elfenbein and Ambady, 2002; Hess and Thibault, 2009).
How does culture affect emotion examples?
Cultures differ also in some of the specific events which are likely to call forth an emotion. For example, some foods are considered a delicacy in one culture but evoke feelings of disgust in another culture, not to mention that there are differences found even within a specific culture.
What are the roots of emotions in psychology?
The basic emotions are determined in large part by one of the oldest parts of our brain, the limbic system, including the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the thalamus.
What is the biological theory of emotion?
More specifically, the theory proposes that emotions result when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction. At the same time, the brain also receives signals triggering the emotional experience.
What are the biological components of emotions?
Emotional experiences have three components: a subjective experience, a physiological response and a behavioral or expressive response. Feelings arise from an emotional experience.
Are emotions culturally specific?
Emotions are cultural phenomena because we learn to have them in a cultural way. We don’t really know discrete emotions when we are born; we only distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant. In interacting with others, we learn to categorize and experience emotions in certain ways.
Are emotions culturally constructed?
A large body of anthropological and psychological research on emotions has yielded significant evidence that emotional experience is culturally constructed: people more commonly experience those emotions that help them to be a good and typical person in their culture.
How does culture influence emotion quizlet?
How does culture influence emotion? Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: There are similarities and differences between how different cultures express emotion. All cultures form facial expressions and recognize them as the expression of emotion.
How do emotions differ across cultures?
What are the emotions that are culturally universal?
Specifically, the universality hypothesis proposes that six basic internal human emotions (i.e., happy, surprise, fear, disgust, anger, and sad) are expressed using the same facial movements across all cultures (4–7), supporting universal recognition.
How does culture affect emotional intelligence?
The results showed that a part of emotional intelligence ability is innate while another part can be changed through learning and experience; this later part dominated by culture that provides the structures, guidelines, expectations, and rules to interpret behaviors.
Are emotions learned or genetic?
Summary: Facial expressions of emotion are hardwired into our genes, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research suggests that facial expressions of emotion are innate rather than a product of cultural learning.
Which two factors are emphasized by the two factor theory of emotion?
The two-factor theory of emotion focuses on the interaction between physical arousal and how we cognitively label that arousal. In other words, simply feeling arousal is not enough; we also must identify the arousal in order to feel the emotion.
How does culture affect social and emotional development?
Cultural background gives children a sense of who they are. The unique cultural influences children respond to from birth, including customs and beliefs around food, artistic expression, language, and religion, affect the way they develop emotionally, socially, physically, and linguistically.
How does culture influence behavior?
Our culture shapes the way we work and play, and it makes a difference in how we view ourselves and others. It affects our values—what we consider right and wrong. This is how the society we live in influences our choices. But our choices can also influence others and ultimately help shape our society.
What is the purpose of emotions according to the theory of evolution?
According to the evolutionary theory of emotion, our emotions exist because they serve an adaptive role. Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment, which helps improve the chances of success and survival.
What causes emotions scientifically?
Emotion is a very adaptive form of physiological response, and it regulates our lives. Emotion is expressed largely in the theater of the body, through posture and facial expression as well as through such internal processes as heart rate and blood pressure.
How does culture related to our personality?
Loosely defined, culture refers to the shared values, beliefs and norms of a specific group of people. Culture, therefore, influences the manner we learn, live and behave. Because of this, many theorists believe that culture is an important shaper of our personality.