Which term describes withholding any expression to hide true feelings, possibly playing games where you have to deceive others?

• A. Neutralize
• B. Mask
• C. Interpersonal Gap
• D. Micro-expressions

Answer: (A)

Neutralizing describes intentionally dampening or suppressing emotional signals so others can’t read what you’re really feeling. When you withhold any expression to hide true feelings, you’re keeping your face, voice, and body from showing emotion, effectively rendering your reaction neutral. This fits game-playing or deception because the goal is to control what others perceive about your state and avoid revealing your real stance. In contrast, masking would involve presenting a different emotion on purpose, micro-expressions are brief glimpses of genuine feelings, and an interpersonal gap refers to a mismatch in communication rather than deliberate suppression of cues.