The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
by
Charles Darwin
First published 1872
Charles Darwin specifically described the facial expressions
of six basic emotions and how these expressions of emotion evolved from
functional, survival actions of the facial muscles. He believed that these had
common origin, and fundamental properties that are shared with other animals,
and his detailed study of the muscular actions involved in emotion were
underpinned by three principles. Darwin thought that there was a universality
of human emotions with universal expressions for sadness, happiness, anger,
fear, surprise and disgust. He also saw the antitheses signal as telling (ie a
tail wagging for happy or tucked and rigid in fear). Darwin questioned why each
expression is best suited for the emotion it represents raising - and
attempting to answer - the question of why one expression, rather than another?
He noticed that we may shut our eyes momentarily and firmly, or shake our
heads, if we see something disagreeable, and how muscles in the face, such as
his ‘grief muscle’ can line the forehead. A recent edition has a good
introduction from Paul Ekman on Darwin’s influence and his own role in
confirming some of Darwin’s theories.