Cross-Cultural Emotions: Literature Review of Facial Expressions

This report analyzes the ongoing debate regarding the universality of facial expressions across different cultures. It begins by exploring Ekman and Friesen's study on the Fore linguistic-cultural group of New Guinea, which suggested universal facial expressions. However, the report then contrasts this with Gendron et al.'s research on the Himba ethnic group, which found that facial expression perception is not universal and depends on cultural contexts. The report also discusses Crivelli et al.'s findings on the Torbrianders' mixed patterns of emotion, indicating that grasping faces may be associated with fear, threat and anger, and that while grasping faces are associated with fear, the facial expressions differ across cultures. The report emphasizes that the interpretation of facial expressions is influenced by culture, conceptual frameworks, and social context. Ultimately, the report highlights the complexities of emotion recognition and the need for further research to understand the interplay between culture and facial expressions.

Running Head: CROSS-CULTURAL EMOTIONS
Cross-cultural Emotions
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1Cross-Cultural Emotions
In this article, the study is focussed on the facial expression of emotion. It addresses
the question that whether the facial expression of emotion is universal or not. Controversy
regarding the facial expression related to emotion is continuous from the long time. In this
article, community member of the Fore linguistic-cultural group of New Guinea’s south east
highland (Ekman & Friesen, 1971). This group is studied in order to show that the members
of such group, who do not have much exposure to the literate and developed cultures have the
same facial expression and emotion as the members of eastern and western culture who are
literate and developed. The data were collected from the selected population of the
community member by telling different stories to the subject and by observing their facial
behaviour of emotion. The result obtained showed that there is no difference in facial
expression among the children and adults, and between the literate and the illiterate culture
group and hence concluded that facial expression is universal (Ekman & Friesen, 1971).
In this article, the researcher are focused to evaluate that the emotional and facial
behaviour is universal or not. It is broadly assumed that there are certain emotions and facial
expression which are universal, but this is not the fact. Facial expression of members of
different group are dissimilar. In this essay, population of the United States and Himba ethnic
group of the keunuene region situated in the north-western Nambia (Gendron et al., 2016).
The data is collected from the population of United States and fro the two village of Himba
ethnic group. Both the groups were haphazardly allotted to either the anchored-sorting
condition or free-sorting. From the data collected, it is observed that the participants from the
Himba did not showed the expected universal pattern whereas the facial expression and
emotion of the population of the united states showed the presumed universal outline of facial
behaviour and emotions. The findings from the article indicate that the perception of facial
expression and emotion are not universal and depends on the conceptual and cultural contexts
(Gendron et al., 2016).

2Cross-Cultural Emotions
In this article, the interpretation regarding the facial expression is evaluated, whether
the facial expression, emotions and the intention are universal or not (Crivelli et al., 2016).
Some researcher stated that the human qualifies both the Intension and emotion by the help of
facial expression ad behaviour such as, when a person experiences fear they showed a
grasping facial behaviour. From the behaviour it can be clearly stated that the person is
getting afraid of particular thing. In this article, two studies were conducted (Crivelli et al.,
2016). In the study 1, adolescent of the Torbrianders shows a mixed pattern of emotion, such
as the grasping face is not only observed during fear but also observed in case of threat and
anger, whereas in the study 2, the adults were asked the population were asked to choose
facial expression for fear, and anger. In fear they showed grasping face whereas in anger,
scowling face is shown. From the result, it can be concluded that the, grasping face which is
associated with fear is universal Crivelli et al., 2016).

3Cross-Cultural Emotions
References
Gendron, M., Roberson, D., van der Vyver, J. M., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). Perceptions of
emotion from facial expressions are not culturally universal: evidence from a remote
culture. Emotion, 14(2), 251.
Crivelli, C., Russell, J.A., Jarillo, S. & Fernández-Dols, J.M (2016). The fear gasping face as
a threat display in a Melanesian society. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences of the United States of America, 113(44), 12403-12407.
Ekman, P. & Friesen, W.V. (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.
Personality and Social Psychology, 17(2), 124-129.