Gender differences in masking negative emotions: Ability or motivation?
Abstract
Research has demonstrated that boys display greater negative affect than girls when they receive a disappointing gift. In this study, ability and motivation were investigated as possible reasons for the gender differences. First- and 3rd-grade children's emotion dissimulation in a disappointing gift task was compared with their degree of dissimulation in a highly motivating game task that required the same ability (masking disappointment with a positive expression) but involved a self-gain motive. If boys are motivated, can they hide their disappointment as well as girls? Boys reduced their expression of negative affect in the game task; however, they still showed higher levels of negativity than did the girls. Perhaps because of socialization experiences, girls have more practice in hiding disappointment and, therefore, are better skilled. Girls also showed higher levels of social monitoring behaviors than boys, and younger girls demonstrated the greatest number oftension behaviors.
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Girls have a greater propensity to respond in ways that preserve relationships.
“girls’ greater propensity for responding in ways that preserve relationships (e.g., with the experimenter), consistent with female gender roles, and b) girls’ greater skill at modulating facial expressions (Davis, 1995).”
From Gender differences in emotion expression in children: A meta-analytic review. (2013) · cites this paper as Davis, 1995
Girls have greater skill at modulating facial expressions.
“girls’ greater propensity for responding in ways that preserve relationships (e.g., with the experimenter), consistent with female gender roles, and b) girls’ greater skill at modulating facial expressions (Davis, 1995).”
From Gender differences in emotion expression in children: A meta-analytic review. (2013) · cites this paper as Davis, 1995
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“This gender difference may be explained by (a) girls' greater propensity for responding in ways that preserve relationships (e.g., with the experimenter ), consistent with female gender roles, and (b) girls' greater skill at modulating facial expressions (Davis, 1995).”
BackgroundDuckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2006) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.198 · Cited by 1,097 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Davis, T. L.
- Affiliations
- Middle Tennessee State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Davis, Teresa L.
- ORCID
- Davis, Teresa L.
- Venue
- Developmental Psychology
- Published
- 1995-07
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 660-667
- ISSN
- 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-0599
- OpenAlex
- W1964043881
- Cited by
- 150
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- gender differences, emotion regulation, disappointment, social monitoring, socialization, children's emotional expression, tension behavior, age differences
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