Emotion and Evolution

Humans have somewhere between 30-40 facial muscles, which are manipulated to display different emotions. For example, the display of embarrassment is characterized by a tight-lipped/ puckering smile, touching one’s face, and turning ones head to reveal the neck. This display is both systematic and coordinated, and there is evidence that it is not culture-specific, as members of various non-Western cultures recognize this display as embarrassment. In fact, a similar behavior has been observed in non-human species in the form of appeasement displays. Non-human species (primarily mammals, especially the great apes) produce these displays when apologizing for mistakes, seeking reconciliation, or backing down from a confrontation with a more dominant member of the group. The appeasement display is indicated by an odd little smile, face-touching, exposing vulnerable areas (wolves show their necks), and shrinking their posture. This study is compelling evidence in the argument for the evolutionary (rather than social) origin of emotion and emotional displays.