What are display rules?

• A. Social norms about eye contact
• B. Financial regulations
• C. Social norms controlling expression of emotions
• D. Dietary restrictions during gatherings

Answer: (C)

Display rules are the social norms that govern how emotions should be shown to others. They tell you when it’s appropriate to display a certain feeling, how intensely to display it, and in which situations or relationships you should reveal or hide your emotions. These rules help explain cultural and situational differences in facial expressions, gestures, and vocal tone—why someone might smile to mask disappointment in a formal setting or suppress anger in front of a boss, for example. In cross-cultural psychology, you learn that these rules shape outward emotion display more than the inner feeling itself.

That’s why the correct choice describes social norms controlling expression of emotions. The other options refer to other behaviors (like eye contact) or irrelevant topics (financial regulations, dietary restrictions) and don’t capture the idea of regulating how emotions are outwardly displayed.