I
grew up in the Jewish tradition, in which expressiveness was
encouraged. In contrast, this year, I’ve read three books presenting the
opposite. In A Man Named Ove, a Swede so prized
keeping his feelings to himself that no one had an inkling that he was
planning to commit suicide, down to where to hang the rope. I also read
three books, Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84, and Geisha, which showed the Japanese culture’s venerating restraint.
Some
of expressiveness or restraint may be cultural and resistant to
dramatic change but doubtless, some volition remains. So, in the service
of your considering whether to become more or less expressive, my PsychologyToday.com article today lists restraint’s and expressiveness’s advantages.
