Transcript What are emotions? - UBC Psychology`s Research Labs

Psychology 307:
Cultural Psychology
March 4
Lecture 14
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2014 Psychology
Career Panel
6 March 2014 | 6:00-7:00PM | BUCH A103
This event will feature UBC alumni whose degree in psychology has led them down a
successful career path. Attendees and panelists will have a chance to interact in a
short mix-and-mingle session that will follow the panel discussion.
PSA membership required. Light refreshments will be served! No RSVP required.
Description of the alumni & event: www.psa.psych.ubc.ca
A little R&R ….
(Review and Reflect)
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Groups, Relationships, Interpersonal Attraction,
Love, and Emotions
1. What characteristics are perceived to be attractive
across cultures?
2. Are attitudes regarding romantic love similar across
cultures?
3. What are emotions?
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By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:
1. identify physical characteristics that are perceived
to be attractive across cultures.
2. define the term “heterozygosity.”
3. discuss the relationship between heterozygosity and
perceived attractiveness.
4. explain cultural differences in “the tyranny of the
beautiful.”
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5. discuss cultural and sex similarities in preferred
personality characteristics.
6. discuss cultural differences in the experience of
romantic love and marriage.
7. describe the James-Lange theory of emotion.
8. define the facial feedback hypothesis.
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What characteristics are perceived to be attractive
across cultures? (continued)
(b) Physical characteristics (continued)
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Faces Rated as Being Highly Attractive
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 Among the characteristics that have been found to be
attractive across cultures are:
 Bilateral symmetry of the face and body.
 A complexion that is free of blemishes and sores.
 Facial features that are relatively average in size and
shape.
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Bilateral Facial Symmetry (Braun et al., 2001)
Original Face
Symmetrically
Optimized Face
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Facial “Smoothness” (Braun et al., 2001)
Original Face
Smoothed Face
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Average-Sized Facial Features (Braun et al., 2001)
+
Original Face 1
=
Original Face 2
Morphed Face
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 The faces that are perceived to be most attractive are
those that result from morphing people from different
ethnic groups:
 Example: Rhodes et al. (2005)
 Recruited European-Australians and Japanese.
 Had participants rate the attractiveness and health of
several composite images created by morphing faces:
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 Found that:
(a) for both males and females, the Eurasian face was
perceived to be most attractive.
(b) for both males and females, the Eurasian face was
perceived to be most healthy.
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 In individualistic cultures, physically attractive people
experience more positive outcomes. This is known
as the “tyranny of the beautiful”:
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
Among candidates for the Canadian federal election,
physically attractive candidates received three times
as many votes as unattractive ones.
 Among MBA graduates, each “unit” of attractiveness
was associated with an additional $2150/yr salary for
females and $2600/yr salary for males.
 Among individuals charged with a misdemeanor,
attractive defendants were assigned less than half of
the bail amounts of unattractive defendants.
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 The tyranny of the beautiful is more prevalent in
individualistic cultures than collectivistic cultures:
 Example: Anderson, Adams, and Plaut (2008)
 Investigated the relationship between physical
attractiveness and life outcomes in the US and Ghana.
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Correlations with Attractiveness
 In contrast to collectivistic cultures (i.e., low relational
mobility contexts), in individualistic cultures (i.e., high
relational mobility contexts) people have greater
freedom of choice in selecting relationship partners.
 In such “open relationship markets,” physical
attractiveness serves as a cue, attracting others and
facilitating positive outcomes.
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(c) Personality characteristics
 Across cultures, people are attracted to similar
personality characteristics:
 Example: Buss et al. (1990)
 Recruited participants from 33 countries (e.g., Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, India, Japan,
Iran, Nigeria, Poland, U.S., Zambia).
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 Had participants rate personality characteristics for how
desirable they would be in a mate.
 Found:
(a) an average cross-cultural correlation of .78.
(b) an average male-female correlation of .87.
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Are attitudes regarding romantic love similar across
cultures?
● Theorists believe that individualism promotes an
emphasis on the married couple; romantic love is
viewed as the primary force that binds the couple.
● In contrast, collectivism promotes an emphasis on the
married couple’s position within an extended family;
romantic love may pose a threat to the extended family.
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● Evidence that indicates that cultures promote distinct
attitudes regarding romantic love:
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(a) Beliefs about romantic love:
● Although romantic love has been documented in
all cultures, there is cultural variation in the extent to
which romantic love is believed to be associated with
positive outcomes and emotions.
● Example: Rothbaum and Tsang (1998)
 Examined American and Chinese love songs.
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 Found that:
(a) significantly more Chinese than American songs
depicted love as embedded within a broader social
context.
(b) significantly more Chinese than American songs
identified negative outcomes of the love relationship.
(c) significantly more Chinese than American songs
expressed suffering as a consequence of the love
relationship.
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 Consistent with these findings, Wu (2002) found
that Chinese students agreed more strongly than
did American students with the statement “love
without pain is not true love.”
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(b) The importance of romantic love as a basis of
marriage
● Romantic love is more likely to be viewed as a
precondition for marriage in individualistic cultures
than collectivistic cultures.
● Example: Levine et al. (1995)
 Recruited participants from 11 countries (e.g., Australia,
Brazil, England, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Thailand,
U.S.).
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 Asked participants to respond to the following
question:
If a man (woman) had all the other qualities you
desired, would you marry this person if you were not in
love with him (her)?
 Found that participants from collectivistic cultures were
more likely to respond “yes” than participants from
individualistic cultures.
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 E.g., Percentage of participants who responded “yes”:
Australia
4.8%
India
49.0%
England
7.3%
Pakistan
50.4%
U.S.
3.5%
Thailand
18.8%
 Consistent with these findings, people from
collectivistic cultures often report that they “love the
person they marry,” not “marry the person they love.”
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What are emotions?
● Most psychologists believe that emotions consist of at
least 2 components: a physiological component and a
subjective component.
● Many psychologists also believe that emotions
consist of a third component: a cognitive component.
● There are 2 major theories of emotion:
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1. James-Lange theory of emotion
 Proposed by William James and Carl Lange in the late
1800s.
 Suggests that the physiological changes that occur in
response to antecedent events produce emotions.
 According to this view, “we feel sorry because we cry,
angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble”
(James, 1884).
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James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Physiological
changes: Heart
pounding,
trembling,
sweating,
running away
Antecedent
event: Seeing an
angry dog
Emotion felt:
Fear
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 On the basis of this theory, Tomkins (1963) proposed
the facial feedback hypothesis.
Research has provided some support for this
hypothesis.
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By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:
1. identify physical characteristics that are perceived
to be attractive across cultures.
2. define the term “heterozygosity.”
3. discuss the relationship between heterozygosity and
perceived attractiveness.
4. explain cultural differences in “the tyranny of the
beautiful.”
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5. discuss cultural and sex similarities in preferred
personality characteristics.
6. discuss cultural differences in the experience of
romantic love and marriage.
7. describe the James-Lange theory of emotion.
8. define the facial feedback hypothesis.
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