Sex differences in the experience of anger and anger-related emotions

Abstract

This study looks at the influence of social factors on the elicitation of emotion. Specifically, the study focuses on variations of anger experience as a result of different gender-dyad interactions. Participants imagined themselves in a hypothetical scenario: They were engaged in a social interaction in which each participant worked with another participant on a challenging task. In the hypothetical scenario, the imagined other participant displayed behavior intended to instigate anger in the participant. Female participants were found to experience higher rates of anger and frustration, while holding confederates more responsible for task performance than male participants. Additionally, females used more cause words and third person pronouns than males. These results help to understand the effects of gender on experience of anger and anger-related emotions. In addition, this study looked into the influence of social factors on emotions and other appraisal processes such as self- and other-accountability. Major findings revealed that female participants reported higher levels of anger and frustration than male participants, perhaps due to higher affiliative orientation.