Answer :
Final answer:
Cultural backgrounds influence the interpretation of facial expressions. Display rules vary across cultures, impacting how emotions are expressed and recognized. For example, people from the United States focus on the mouth, while people from Japan focus on the eyes. The correct option is (a).
Explanation:
Cultural backgrounds influence the interpretation of facial expressions. Research has shown that different cultures have varying display rules, which dictate the types and frequencies of acceptable emotional displays.
For example, people from the United States tend to focus on the mouth when interpreting others' emotions, while people from Japan tend to focus on the eyes. Furthermore, cultural differences in display rules can affect how often and under what circumstances emotions are expressed.
Moreover, social cohesion and suppression of emotional reactions are culturally nuanced behaviors that dictate which emotional responses are deemed suitable in specific contexts.
The evidence suggests that while basic facial expressions are universally recognized, the nuances in recognition and display of these expressions are heavily influenced by one's cultural environment. This affects the likelihood of certain expressions being displayed publicly, as well as the interpretations of those expressions.