Emotions in different cultures ( Subject: Sociology )

Depending on the culture, it may be seen as disruptive if emotion is broadcasted too loudly. If we're happy we show it very broadly, but in Japan they keep their face neutral except their eyes --accidentally-- because it's more difficult to hide. In the book they explained that due to the culture in Japan, they've been trained to look at the eyes for emotion rather than the rest of the face and it may be why the majority of the cartoon characters have very large eyes and small mouths. (pg.416)

In the U.S, when we display emotion it is loud even without us making a sound! If we're happy we smile, or lift our eyebrows with a smirk, open our eyes in amusement, and sometimes even use our hands (i.e fist in the air for a winning move). When we're sad we physically and emotionally withdraw on our faces. Our eyes may glaze over, or our mouth may turn down in a grimace. Usually our arms protect our body in some way as well. 

These examples completely depend on our culture, and I believe they are the extremes in both examples (or close to it). If either switched places, we might assume a Japanese student is perpetually sad, or they may assume we are always loud and disrespectful. I wonder how other cultures display emotion?