Of emotional expression

THE EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

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Charles Darwin asserted that many human patterns of emotional expression have a genetic basis, handed down through generations because they had survival value. Since there are not fossils of behavior, such conjectures obviously cannot be proved, but the possible evolutionary significance of some expressions is easy to see. Raising the eyebrows in surprise or fear increases our visual acuity; raising the upper lip in rage bares teeth and readies us to bite. Other animals also bare their teeth as a threat or when preparing to fight, giving their enemies a warning that may in itself prevent a violent and damaging encounter. Darwin believed that baring the teeth served a similar function among our ancestors; the expression communicated a threat. A threat warns enemies of the impulse to act – in this case, to fight. What could be the purpose of visible fear? Researchers believe that a threatened animal’s companions, preparing them as well as the threatened individual to flee if necessary.

If the expression of emotion has an evolutionary, genetic basis, then it should be similar across a variety of cultures. Consistent with Darwin’s view, people from widely diverse cultures use highly similar postures, gestures and facial expressions to convey comparable emotional states. When people in different societies were asked to identify the emotions expressed in a series of photographs, they recognized anger, fear, disgust, surprise and happiness, regardless of the culture in which they lived.

Further evidence for a biological, hereditary basis of emotional expression comes from studies of infants, which show that the capacity for emotional expression develops very early – or is present at birth. In one study, infants as young as two months were observed during inoculations against childhood diseases. The infants all showed distinctive facial patterns that could be readily recognized as responses to pain. Some researchers believe that all the basic emotions may be present in the newborn, but they appear only in response to biological needs like food and protection.

Although the first truly social smile appears at about two months, some researchers have found that infants as young as forty-two minutes will imitate emotional expressions quite accurately, sticking out their tongues or opening their mouths in response to an adults actions. Whether these responses are true imitations has been much debated. Nevertheless, that basic emotional expressions have been observed repeatedly on the faces of infant certainly suggests that emotional expression is not the result of learning.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27