Emotional Darwin

I find it so amazing that animals can show emotions. I always thought my dog would smile whenever someone would walk in the door, but now I know it is true. It is weird to think of all the simple expressions people use to show their emotions, especially differing from country to country. Some of the expressions seem to be just trends, but others are so old that I wonder where they came from and how they were given the emotional identity.

Its really interesting to hear first hand about how the things many citizens of America do are not common place or can have different meanings somewhere else while we just assume its universal.

Oh, yes! I completely understand what you mean. I myself am from the Philippines and in mass we would do the peace sign to show peace, where in church here we would shake hands firmly with many people. And in regard to emotions, I find that very interesting as well. It's so easy to take things for granted and just assume things have always been there from the very start. Humanity is so very complex and still shrouded in mystery.

I remember hearing somewhere that in some countries, nodding your head yes actually means no in that culture while shaking your head no means yes. Because of these differences it would be a good idea to learn the customs of a culture before visiting that country to save yourself from problems.

It is interesting how universal some emotions even though we might show our emotions in different ways. I think it is funny how chimpanzees use social displays just like we do. They might not be the exact same but the intentions behind the movements are similar. Cool post.

I wonder how these different expressions mean different things in different cultures. Like how the differences in meaning started.

It's so cool the ability for people to adapt to their surroundings! I've moved all across the country due to my parents so I understand miniature versions of what you went through. Obviously many motions are national but things like phrases vary so much from region to region. Even those small moves take time to assimilate and understand what the people mean. Let me tell you, living in the south is an experience. Here's an amusing article if you'd like to read some things about southern individuality :D
http://huntsville.about.com/od/gossip/a/beingsouthern.htm
Sometimes I forget that people don't always feel like they fit in or know the standards so it's great to hear about how you overcame that part of your life!

That is super interesting that different cultures use different cues. I lived in Spain during my junior year of high school and I found that very true. People said things and expressed their emotions very differently than in the United States. I think that here, we are much more open about how we feel and more open to expressing it.