Final answer:
Display rules are cultural norms that dictate the appropriate types and levels of emotional expression in social contexts. While the ability to produce and recognize facial expressions is universal, these rules vary among different cultures, emphasizing either the open expression or suppression of emotions according to social situations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Definition of Display Rules
The statement that best defines display rules is (D) Specific cultural norms regulate how much emotion we express socially. These rules are culturally specific standards guiding the acceptable types and frequencies of emotional displays. Despite the universal recognition and production of facial expressions of emotions across different cultures, as noted by Paul Ekman's research, these display rules can vary significantly. For example, in contrast to Americans, individuals in Japan may express negative emotions like fear, anger, and disgust more privately. Similarly, cultures that prioritize social harmony might suppress emotions to maintain group coherence.
It's important to understand that while the ability to produce and recognize facial expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, disgust, contempt, and anger are universal, cultural display rules often dictate how openly such emotions can be expressed. The innate capacity for emotional expression may be shown to be reduced in individuals suffering from conditions like PTSD, illustrating how emotional regulations are both biologically and socially influenced.