ABSTRACT
The pairing of happiness and sadness stands as proxy here for the full range of emotions expressed normally and implicated in psychopathology. Caution should be exercised, however; a recent study comparing a relatively uncontacted group with US participants revealed that contextual cultural cues may be necessary for the interpretation of supposedly universal facial expressions. Cultures differ in the regulation of emotional expression and in the consequences of emotional expression or suppression. Nonetheless, there is support for the idea that emotions are, at their core, culturally universal and measurable. Discussion of grief and happiness may lead to considering the rituals and celebrations connected with each emotion and to comparisons of funeral/end-of-life and birth/wedding practices; these are always rich sources of intercultural and interpersonal sharing.
