jenny reyes of abscbn's news program bandila asked me for probable reasons why, according to an international survey, the Philippines is "the most emotional country" in the world.
one reason for the Filipinos' emotionality is historically-based. in the process of being "enslaved" by a number of colonizers, Filipinos learned to suppress their emotions as a survival mechanism- lest they get guillotined or shot to death for blatantly expressing their sentiments. and now that the Philippines is a free country, Filipinos (over)compensate by enjoying the freedom to express their emotions- something most Filipinos of yore would not have dared to do.
a second reason is based on cultural attitudes. Filipinos are emotional because they are expected to practice the attitude of "emotional sensitivity (pakiramdaman)" wherein Filipinos intuitively assess or "feel out" a person or a situation before making a next move.
a third reason is due to the close-knittedness of Filipino relationships. the closer people interact with each other, the more relational friction is bound to happen, thereby causing emotions to erupt.
a fourth reason is that in recent times, Filipinos have been adopting a "magpakatotoo (be true to yourself) attitude" propagated by people on TV like Kris Aquino, Anabelle Rama, etc. wherein Filipinos are encouraged to be "authentic" and "transparent" by expressing their thoughts and feelings, albeit in a tactless, rude, or insensitive manner.
and lastly, Filipinos have become influenced by the over-dramatic "teleseryes" they watch, thus acquiring a "teleserye" mentality wherein they also become emotionally dramatic as they relate to others.
the philippines is the most emotional country in the world, and this attribute certainly makes it more fun to be in the Philippines!
