ABSTRACT
Emotions are characterized by motivations toward expression. Yet social norms often call for the suppression of emotion. The result is an ambivalence about emotional expression: I want to express my feelings, but at the same time I don’t want to. What should I do? Some argue that emotions are disruptive, and thus that it is better to suppress them. Others argue that suppression is unhealthy and inauthentic, and thus that it is better to express emotions. Which view is right? I argue that both views rest on a simplistic understanding of suppression. Both construe suppression as the attempt to hide one’s emotions. Yet suppression can also serve as an honest signal of self-control. By holding my emotions in check, I demonstrate that I can resist the urge to express my feelings for the sake of cooperating. As a signal of self-control, suppression can be an act of authentic self-expression and a prosocial display.
