2/10/20; Week 6: Response to Differences in Emotional Expressivity

"Hello, nice to meet you!"

A handshake, a word, a bow, a hug, a kiss, an air kiss, a nose bump, a fist bump, a face rub. These are ways people greet each other around the world. Okay, stop right here and make a list…which greetings would you feel comfortable with?

This will probably say a lot about whether your culture is low tolerance to expressivity (does not show public emotion) or high tolerance to expressivity (shows public emotion). In a Brigham Young University - Idaho class lecture, “Differences in Emotional Expressivity," Professor Ivers categorizes several countries for us.  Scandinavian, British, and Japanese cultures were listed under low tolerance to expressivity.  Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Italian cultures were listed under high tolerance to expressivity. The United States fell in the middle. Different subcultures within the United States were noted to be on opposite ends of the spectrum as well.

One of my favorite school years memories was hosting exchange students from other countries. Let’s see if you can guess what countries they were from by the greetings they offered us. Many of the exchange students we hosted would bow when we met them. 

"Hello, nice to meet you."

If you guessed Japan, you’re right! Being a low tolerance culture, there is no touching in their greeting. I can’t help but think of the scene in the movie “Karate Kid” where Mr. Miyagi kindly reminds Daniel to look at him when he’s bowing by smacking Daniel in the head saying, “Look eye, look eye, always look eye!” It was funny in the movie, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that in real-life.

Are you ready for the next one? These exchange students greeted us with a BIG hug.

"Hello, nice to meet you!"

Did you guess Brazil? If so, you’re right again! Their culture is high tolerance. They are very affectionate.

One might make judgments based on the way these exchange students greet others. It’s important for us to remember that doing things differently doesn’t make us or them right or wrong. We simply express in a way that we have learned and are comfortable with.

How would this translate to the classroom in my culture? Well, let’s just say a hug, a kiss, or a face rub might not go so well. In fact, it could be interpreted as an invasion of personal space or harassment, so while it is important to be mindful of where the expression roots from, it is also our jobs as teachers and human beings to teach others about our cultures to avoid uncomfortable or unfortunate situations.