Universality of Emotions

Made by @agreyr

Evolution of emotions - Charles Darwin

Emotional expressions are the product of evolution and should be studied across species; human and nonhuman animals show comparable (though often subtle) emotion with universal meanings

Emotional expressions signal what the animal is likely to do next; if emotional signals are beneficial, they will evolve to more effectively communicate

Principle of antithesis

Opposite messages signaled by opposite movements and postures

Are emotions universal?

Likely 6-8 core emotions, consistent across time and culture

People of different cultures make similar expressions; can identify emotions of others, despite different cultures

Paul Ekman & colleagues core emotions

Anger, sadness, happiness, fear, disgust, surprise, contempt, embarassment

Facial feedback

Facial expressions are mediated by muscles, cranial nerves, and CNS pathways

Facial expressions of emotion can be faked; microexpressions can reveal true feelings, and different muscles are involved in real vs fake smiles

Microexpressions

Ultra-brief facial expressions that reveal true feelings by breaking through fake ones

Muscles involved in fake vs real smiles

Orbicularis oculi (Duchenne/genuine) & Zygomaticus major (both)

Facial feedback hypothesis

Voluntarily controlling muscles can influence our emotional experience