The Myth Of Female Emotionality: Nature Or Nurture?

It is a widely held belief that women are more emotional than men. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports observed the emotions of 142 men and women and found that male participants' emotions fluctuated as much as women's. Furthermore, several research studies and meta-analyses have shown small but significant gender differences in the expression of emotion in adulthood in Western cultures, with women showing greater emotion expression overall. On the other hand, men express greater levels of aggression and anger than women in some contexts.

Women are more likely to use negative emotion-related coping strategies such as cognitive rumination

While there is a widely held belief that women are more emotional than men, there is little evidence to support this. However, there are some gender differences in how emotions are expressed and coped with.

Women are more likely to internalise negative emotions such as sadness and anxiety, and also show greater rates of clinical depression and some forms of anxiety disorders. Men, on the other hand, express greater levels of aggression and anger, and also show greater rates of antisocial behaviour and alcohol abuse.

Women are also more likely to use emotion-focused coping strategies, which involve changing their emotional responses to a situation, rather than the problem itself. These include rumination, self-blame, and venting. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use problem-focused or instrumental methods of handling stressful experiences.

One study found that women who used less positive reframing had higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to women who used more positive reframing, and to men, irrespective of their use of more or less positive reframing. Another study found that women who reported using more self-blame had elevated levels of trait anxiety, although this effect was not found for men.

These findings suggest that women's greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies may be a risk factor for the development of clinical levels of depression and anxiety, and may contribute to the higher prevalence of these disorders in women.

Women react more negatively to unpleasant experiences in experimental settings

There is a widely held belief that women are more emotional than men. However, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, there is no truth to this. The study found that male participants' emotions fluctuated as much as women's.

Women do, however, appear to react more negatively to unpleasant experiences in experimental settings. For example, in a study of sex differences in reactions to pleasant and unpleasant slides, researchers found that women reacted more negatively to unpleasant slides (e.g. mutilated bodies, physical violence, and suffering or dead animals). This sex difference persisted in size from ages 20 to 81. Another study found that women react with more sadness to sad films than men and react with more fear-disgust to fearful-disgusting films than men.

Women are also more likely to use negative emotion-related coping strategies such as cognitive rumination and seeking emotional support. They also tend to score higher on the personality trait most closely associated with negative emotionality—neuroticism.

These findings suggest that there are some sex differences in emotion, but it is important to note that these differences are relatively small and depend on various factors such as the type of emotion, how it is measured, and where it is expressed.

Women are better at recognising and processing the negative emotions of others

While there is a widely held belief that women are more emotional than men, there is little evidence to support this. A 2021 study found that male and female participants' emotions fluctuated to a similar degree. However, there is some evidence to suggest that women are better at recognising and processing the negative emotions of others.

Several studies have found that women are better at decoding emotions than men. Women are also more likely to use negative emotion-related coping strategies, such as cognitive rumination, and tend to react more negatively to unpleasant experiences in experimental settings. Women are also better able to recognise and process the negative emotions of others, possibly due to their need to attach to their children.

In terms of the expression of emotion, women show greater emotional expressivity overall, especially for positive emotions and internalising negative emotions such as sadness. However, men express greater levels of aggression and anger. Interestingly, while women may be more expressive of most emotions, men show equal or greater levels of physiological arousal.

Women score higher on the personality trait most closely associated with negative emotionality – neuroticism

Women tend to score higher on the personality trait most closely associated with negative emotionality – neuroticism. In a meta-analysis of 25 studies, Feingold (1994) found that women scored higher in anxiety (d = -0.27). These sex differences in neuroticism appear to be particularly robust, overcoming several response biases associated with other self-reported sex differences.

Vianello et al. (2013) found that sex differences in neuroticism are found using both explicit self-reported and implicitly-tested measurement modalities. As Shchebetenko (2017) concluded, "Neuroticism may represent a special case when men and women differ in a trait, above and beyond their interpretations of, and opinions on this trait" (p. 155).

In a cross-cultural study of 37 nations, Fischer et al. (2004) found that women tended to report more negative emotionality. Among those nations with relatively higher sociopolitical gender equity, sex differences were found in the intensity of felt sadness (d = -0.26), fear (d = -0.26), shame (d = -0.12), and guilt (d = -0.12).

In large cross-cultural samples of adults, women have been found to score higher in overall neuroticism in studies of 26 nations (d = -0.26; Costa et al., 2001), 53 nations (d = -0.41; Lippa, 2010), and 56 nations (d = -0.40; Schmitt et al., 2008). Interestingly, all of these cross-cultural studies find sex differences in neuroticism are larger in cultures with more sociopolitical gender equity.

Women are more expressive of most emotions

There is a widely held belief that women are more emotional than men. However, this is a harmful stereotype that can negatively impact how women are viewed in their relationships, the workplace, and the world at large. While more research is needed, existing studies support the idea that emotional differences by sex are a myth. For example, a 2021 study found that male participants' emotions fluctuated as much as women's.

Several research studies and meta-analyses have shown small but significant gender differences in the expression of emotion in adulthood in the US and some Western European countries, with women showing greater emotion expression overall. Women also show greater expression of positive emotions and internalising negative emotions such as sadness and anxiety. However, men express greater levels of aggression and anger than women, in some contexts. Interestingly, although women may be more expressive of most emotions, at least in Western cultures, men show equal or greater levels of physiological arousal. This may mean that men are aroused internally but "keep in" emotions, whereas women freely express emotions.

In addition, women show greater rates of clinical depression and some forms of anxiety disorders than men starting in adolescence. These disorders involve experiencing and expressing high levels of internalising negative emotions such as sadness, guilt, and fear. In contrast, men show greater rates of antisocial behaviours and alcohol abuse than women, which may involve expressions of anger.

Women are also more likely than men to use negative emotion-related coping strategies such as cognitive rumination and seeking emotional support. Observation data of women's written and verbal behaviour tends to find that women express more negative emotions than men. However, it's important to note that women report more negative emotionality when their partners reject them, while men tend to report more negative emotions when their partners demand more intimacy.

Most studies show that women tend to score higher on the personality trait most closely associated with negative emotionality—neuroticism. In a meta-analysis across 25 studies, women scored higher in anxiety. Sex differences in neuroticism appear to be particularly robust, overcoming several response biases associated with other self-reported sex differences.

In conclusion, while there may be small gender differences in the expression of emotion, with women showing greater emotion expression overall, it is important to recognise that these differences are not due to inherent biological factors but rather a combination of biological, social, and cultural influences.

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