Concealing the counter-stereotypic: Social presence moderates gender differences in emotional expression

Megan K McCarty, Purdue University

Abstract

The current study investigated emotion type as a potential moderator of men and women’s social inhibition of emotional expression, the tendency to minimize expressive behavior in the presence of others. Greater social inhibition of emotional expression was hypothesized for gender counter-stereotypic emotions than for gender stereotypic emotions. Participants’ facial expressivity was coded as they completed either an anger- or sadness- inducing task. They were either told or not told that they were being videotaped during this task. Contrary to the hypotheses, there was no evidence of social inhibition of emotional expression, or of greater social inhibition of emotional expression for the gender counter-stereotypic emotion than for the gender stereotypic emotion. Although the expressivity hypotheses were not supported, poorer task performance was observed for those in the gender counter-stereotypic emotion condition than for those in the gender stereotypic emotion condition, and that effect only occurred for participants who had been told they were being videotaped. These results suggest that the same public emotional events may be differentially cognitively depleting depending on whether that emotion is stereotypic or counter-stereotypic for one’s gender.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Kelly, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social psychology

COinS