Cultural Display Rules

Going back to the idea that we don’t all speak the same emotional language, different cultures add their own distortions to the list of things that individuals may not feel comfortable revealing. Look at any Oscar nominee who loses. Why do they smile? Surely they are not genuinely happy that someone else earned the accolades. The losing artist is masking their displeasure by hiding it with a smile. Culturally, American men aren’t allowed to express fear or sadness; women are not allowed to express anger. The culture we are raised in colors how we are socially allowed to project our inner feelings.