The Social Sharing of Emotion as a Source for the Social Knowledge of Emotion

Abstract

Exposure to emotional narratives is a remarkably widespread phenomenon in social life. As soon as children are able to keep their attention focused on adults1 speech, they are exposed to fairy tales. As they grow up, they are more and more surrounded by the world of art. Trough novels, poetry, theater, operas, movies, painting, sculpture, music, this world of art exposes people to countless emotional scenarios. However, fiction issued from artistic productions is not the only source of emotional scenarios to which people are exposed in social life. News displayed by television, newspapers, magazines and similar media fill our lives. They offer an infinite variety of realistic narratives of emotional situations and emotional responses. Such narratives are repeated, detailed and commented upon by people in their every day conversations.