The Influences of Brain Dominance and Biological Sex on Emotional Expressivity, Sensitivity, and Control

Abstract

Nonverbal communication is the primary channel for the communication of emotion. The abilities to express, control, and decode emotions are important social skills. In this study, we investigated the effects of hemispheric brain dominance and sex on emotional social skills, specifically emotional expressivity, sensitivity, and control. Using the measurements of handedness, we classified participants as being standard, mixed, or anomalous dominant. We presumed that hemispheric brain dominance and sex would interact to influence emotional expressivity, sensitivity, and control. Analysis revealed that brain dominance and sex interacted to influence negative emotional expressivity and emotional control. Specifically, mixed dominant (MD) males scored highest in negative emotional expressivity and lowest in emotional control, whereas MD females scored lowest on negative emotional expressivity and second highest on emotional control. In general, MD men and women reported behaviors opposite of traditional sex differences in emotional expression.