Abstract
Emotion norms shape the pursuit, regulation, and experience of emotions, yet much about their nature remains unknown. Like other types of social norms, emotion norms reflect intersubjective consensus, vary in both content and strength, and benefit the well-being of people who adhere to them. However, we propose that emotion norms may also be a unique type of social norm. First, whereas social norms typically target behaviors, emotion norms can target both expressive behavior and subjective states. Second, whereas it may be possible to identify universally held social norms, norms for emotions may lack any universality. Finally, whereas social norms are typically stronger in more collectivist cultures, emotion norms appear to be stronger in more individualist cultures. For each of the potentially distinct features of emotion norms suggested above, we highlight new directions for future research.
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24 May 2023
The title of the article is repeated as a heading above the first paragraph.
Notes
Some exceptions might exist, such as the norm for moderate consumption of alcohol in some cultures (Hanson, 1995), to the exclusion of both abstinence and binge-drinking.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Anat Rafaeli for comments on a previous version of this manuscript. The second author acknowledges support of Israel Science Foundation grant #2281/20, and the Artery Chair in Personality Studies Endowed by Goldberg, Geller and Luria.
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