When it comes to emotions, Eastern and Western cultures see things very differently

Researchers from Canada and Japan have uncovered some remarkable results on how eastern and western cultures assess situations very differently. According to Takahiko Masuda, a professor from the University of Alberta: "Our results demonstrate that when North Americans are trying to figure out how a person is feeling, they selectively focus on that particular person's facial expression, whereas Japanese consider the emotions of the other people in the situation." This may be because Japanese attention is not concentrated on the individual, but includes everyone in the group, says Masuda. "East Asians seem to have a more holistic pattern of attention, perceiving people in terms of the relationships to others." (Alternative Article)

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