4 ms·

This stereotype of women being more emotional only fits if you do not count anger as an emotion. Interestingly, anger is the emotion most associated with domina

• justinjlynn 11y ago
  I disagree with your assessment and have nothing to say about the gender comparison. However, I would posit that it's aggression, and not anger, that is associated with dominance. Aggression is often subtle and cunning and is often considered a characteristic instead of a transient emotion. Anger, however, when it is felt is typically directly on display. I can see how, in a societal setting, the ease with which someone who is quick to anger being easily manipulated by someone who is consistently aggressive, in their various emotional states, towards that person. In that sense, one need not be angry or easily angered to dominate a social hierarchy.
  • marchenko 11y ago
    No, actually, it is the direct expression of anger (raised voices, threatening gestures, intrusion into personal space, increased vascularization of face and extremities) that is associated with dominance. See for example L. Z. Tiedens, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 80, among many others. People also attribute greater competence to persons willing to express anger. Passive-aggressiveness and manipulation are generally female-coded and not as high-status. I would hypothesize that once anger and its expressions (including extreme cases like 'crimes of passion') are included, the emotion gap between men and women shrinks significantly (but does not entirely disappear).
    • justinjlynn 11y ago
      Thank you for your citations. I'll read and evaluate them.