Licenciado

Are the windows to the soul the same in the East and West?
Cultural differences in using the eyes and mouth as cues to
recognize emotions in Japan and the United States
Masaki Yuki a,*, William W.Maddux b, Takahiko Masuda c
a Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W7 Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
b Northwestern University, USA
c University of Alberta,Canada
Received 31 March 2005; revised 27 December 2005
Available online 24 April 2006
Abstract
The current research investigated the hypothesis that, depending on an individual’s cultural background,facial cues in different parts
of the face are weighted differently when interpreting emotions. Given that the eyes are more difficult to control than the mouth when
people express emotions, wepredicted that individuals in cultures where emotional subduction is the norm (such as Japan) would focus
more strongly on the eyes than the mouth when interpreting others’ emotions. By contrast, wepredicted that people in cultures where
overt emotional expression is the norm (such as the US) would tend to interpret emotions based on the position of the mouth, because it
is the most expressivepart of the face. This hypothesis was confirmed in two studies, one using illustrated faces, and one using edited
facial expressions from real people, in which emotional expressions in the eyes andmouth were independently manipulated. Implications
for our understanding of cross-cultural psychology, as well of the psychology of emotional interpretation, are discussed.
 2006 Elsevier Inc. Allrights reserved.
Keywords: Culture; Emotions; Facial expressions; Emotion recognition; Cognition
Facial expressions are our primary means of communicating
emotions. As such, recognizing facial cues isan
important component of social interaction, critical to interpreting
the emotional states of others. Indeed, an abundance
of empirical evidence over the last several decades
suggests that...