Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques 19. Showing Your Smile From Behind a Mask: How Culture and Emotion Impact Communication
17 snips
Sep 11, 2020 
In this enlightening discussion, Jeanne Tsai, an associate professor of Psychology at Stanford, delves into the intricate ways culture influences communication and emotions. She highlights how mask-wearing affects interpersonal interactions differently across cultures, where it can either foster understanding or hinder expression. Jeanne also contrasts independent versus interdependent cultural views on communication, offering insights on how recognizing these differences can enhance relationships, especially in diverse workplaces.
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Unconscious Cultural Bias
- Cultural influences on communication are often unconscious.
- Gut reactions to communication styles often reflect our own cultural biases, not objective judgments of effectiveness.
Expressing Valued Emotions
- Cultures valuing high-arousal emotions, like excitement, express them more openly in communication.
- This is evident in Americans' frequent use of "great," broad smiles, and compliments.
The Effort of Smiling
- East Asian cultures, valuing calm, may find expressing American-style excitement exhausting.
- Maintaining a broad smile requires significant effort, highlighting cultural differences in ideal affect.
