Which concept describes expressing one emotion while another emotion is actually felt?

• A. Display Rules
• B. Mask
• C. Micro-expressions
• D. Intensify

Answer: (B)

Masking is the act of presenting one emotion on the surface while another emotion is actually felt. It involves concealing your true feeling and replacing it with a different, socially acceptable outward emotion, often to maintain harmony or protect yourself in a relationship or social setting. For example, staying calm and cheerful when you’re feeling irritated helps keep interactions smooth even if your inner state is different.

Display rules describe what emotions are considered appropriate to show in a given situation, but they don’t describe the deception itself. Micro-expressions are brief, involuntary glimpses of genuine emotion that can betray what you feel underneath. Intensify means exaggerating the intensity of the emotion you are displaying, not hiding a different inner feeling. So, the term that best fits expressing one emotion while another is felt is masking.