Display rules differ between positive emotions: Not all that feels good, looks good

Abstract

People do not always show how they feel; norms dictate when to display emotions and to whom. Norms about emotional expressions – known as display rules – are weaker for happiness than for negative emotions (Matsumoto, 2005), suggesting that expressing positive emotions is generally seen as acceptable. But does it follow that all positive emotions can always be shared with everyone? Here, we introduce the Display Rules Assessment for Positive Emotions (DRAPE), an intersubjective measure of expression norms for eight positive emotions: admiration, amusement, feeling moved, gratitude, interest, relief, sensory pleasure, and triumph. In four studies with participants from seven countries (n = 1147), two consistent findings emerged: display rules for positive emotions are weakest when with close others and/or in private settings, and display rules are strongest for a positive emotion that signals vulnerability: feeling moved. We further demonstrate that display rules for positive emotions exhibit cross-cultural differences, with stronger display rules found in more collectivistic and more culturally tight (as compared to loose) countries. In addition, we establish the internal reliability, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity of the DRAPE. Our findings show considerable agreement in norms regarding when and to whom positive emotions should be displayed, but also point to divergence across different positive emotions and across cultures. In addition to providing a validated, theoretically grounded measure of display rules for positive emotions, we provide the first map of expression norms for specific positive emotions.