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Similarities and Variations in Facial Expressions of Emotions: Cross‐cultural Evidence
Author(s) -
Mandal Manas K.,
Bryden M.P.,
BulmanFleming M.B.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/002075996401214
Subject(s) - psychology , disgust , sadness , optimal distinctiveness theory , anger , facial expression , happiness , surprise , emotional expression , arousal , social psychology , developmental psychology , communication
North American (Canadian) and Indian observers were shown photographs of six facial emotions; happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust, expressed by American Caucasian and Indian subjects. Observers were asked to judge each photograph, on a 7‐point scale, for the degree of (a) distinctiveness (free from blending with other emotion categories), (b) pleasantness‐unpleasantness, and (c) arousal‐nonarousal of expressed facial emotion. The results showed significant interaction of Observer × Expressor × Emotion for the distinctiveness judgement. It was found that fearful and angry expressions in Indian faces, in comparison to Caucasian faces, were judged as less distinctly identifiable by observers of both cultural origins. Indian observers rated these two emotion expressions as being more distinctive than did North Americans irrespective of the culture of the expressor. In addition, Indian observers judged fearful and angry expressions as more unpleasant than did North Americans. Caucasians, in comparison to Indians, were judged to have more arousal in most of the emotion expressions.