In your own words, how do men and women differ in their understanding and communication of emotion?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary but must reflect that it is incorrect to say that women are more emotional than men. However, it is correct to say that women tend to show their emotions more than men do, even though both sexes have similar physiological responses when their emotions are elicited.
Some specifics in regard to emotional expression:
• Women tend to be better encoders and decoders of emotional information.
• Women tend to notice micro-level nonverbal behaviors that reveal a person's true emotional state better.
• Women tend to trust their perceptions of others' nonverbal behaviors, which often reveal emotions.
• Women are more likely to communicate positive emotions.
• Men are more likely to express and control anger and have more control over all different types of emotional displays.
Some specifics in regard to emotion within relationships:
• Men and women manage their sadness differently; women seek social support, while men engage in more destructive behaviors.
• Men and women respond to jealousy differently; women are more likely to experience emotional jealousy, whereas men experience more sexual jealousy.
• Women are more likely to discuss their jealous thoughts and feelings, express their emotions nonverbally, and enhance their personal appearance.
• When jealous, men are more likely to focus in the rival and buy gifts or spend money on their partner.