FELT EMOTIONS, AND VERBALLY COMMUNICATED EMOTIONS - THE CASE OF PRIDE

Potential discrepancies between felt and verbally communicated emotion s elicited by two Pride events ('selected for a job among a large grou p' and 'being congratulated for one's own new partner') were studied b y means of a structured questionnaire. Italian male (n=88) and female (n=107) university students attributed felt and communicated emotions to the event protagonist P, choosing from a list of 14 emotions; the c ommunication occurred with P's partner or friend, or with an acquainta nce. Statistical analyses of subjects' attributions confirmed the hypo thesis that felt emotions are regulated in verbal communication to oth ers: pride, triumph, self-satisfaction and excitement were de-emphasiz ed in communication; joy, satisfaction, happiness and surprise were in tensified; other emotions were communicated as felt. Event type, and t o a lesser extent sex of subject, significantly influenced the directi on and extent of regulation. The results are interpreted as showing th at the verbal communication of emotion is influenced by emotion-relate d social norms and beliefs.