What are the cultural differences in expressing feelings in China
Cultural differences in expressing feelings in China are characterized by emotional moderation, control, and a preference for subtlety and harmony. Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of maintaining social harmony and emotional control, rooted in Confucian teachings that value moderation, balance, and subtlety in emotional expression. Strong displays of emotion are often viewed as signs of immaturity or imbalance. Chinese people tend to express emotions more reservedly and calmly, often using subtle facial cues such as the eyes rather than overt expressions involving the mouth or eyebrows. This restrained emotional expression is aimed at preserving interpersonal harmony and avoiding conflict.
Chinese children and adults alike are socialized to regulate and mask negative emotions, showing more neutral or “poker face” expressions in social settings to avoid disrupting group harmony. Chinese mothers tend to show strictness and less positive emotional expression, which further influences the reserved emotional style in Chinese culture. Additionally, Chinese people often experience and accept mixed emotions more dialectically than Westerners, meaning they can hold seemingly contradictory feelings simultaneously without conflict.
In comparison to Western cultures, where individual emotional expression and positive feelings are often encouraged and openly shown, Chinese culture prioritizes collective harmony and emotional restraint, which results in less variable and less openly positive or negative affective displays.
These differences stem from deep cultural values prioritizing group cohesion, social order, and mental health through emotional control and balance rather than emotional intensity or overt expression. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5