Who’s the best at hiding their emotions? Well, take a look at the video below, which delineates the most popular society at masking their emotions. It is not Brits as one might suggest.
Dr. David Matsumoto, microexpression expert, comments on why this might be so prevalent in Japanese society.
He suggests that because it is such a populated country, people need to cooperate with one another to live amicably.
Instead of seeing anger or sadness, Japanese people neutralize those emotions to live harmoniously. This can be seen in the Japanese martial arts as well, where control over one’s emotions and actions as well as having an acute observation of their opponent is crucial for victory.
This is tantamount to America’s poker players who try to mask their emotions at all costs and benefit from being able to read their opponents emotions/body language.
For those interested in learning more about Japanese culture, take a look at Dr. Matsumoto’s book The New Japan: Debunking Seven Cultural Stereotypes.
In the book, Matsumoto debunks seven common stereotypes of Japanese culture: collectivism, consciousness of others, perceptions of self, emotionality, the salaryman, education and lifetime employment, and marriage