Are Emotions Universal?

John Smith
18 hours ago
6 min read

Part two of the Understanding your child's emotions series.

First, why do so many psychologists believe in universal emotions?

The idea has a long history. For example, In 1872 Charles Darwin suggested that emotional expressions evolved because they served important functions for survival. Fear encouraged caution, anger prepared the body for action, and disgust helped people avoid contamination. It's easy to see some of these proposed functions reflected in classic facial expressions. For example, the anger face protects the mouth, the disgust face reduces the intake of unpleasant stimuli, and the surprise face opens the eyes wider, increasing awareness of the environment. The facial expressions formed help us meet the challenges posed by the 'feelings' we have.

About a century later, psychologist Paul Ekman won a Nobel prize for his research into facial expressions across different cultures. Ekman argued that certain emotions appear to be recognised around the world, regardless of language or culture.

The emotions most often associated with this classic view are: Happiness, Sadness

Fear, Anger, Surprise, Disgust (with contempt later added).

According to this view, these emotions are part of our biological inheritance. Just as humans are born with the capacity for language, we are also born with the capacity for certain emotional experiences. For children, this suggests that emotional development begins with a shared human foundation. The theory argues that a child in Nottingham and a child on the other side of the world may have very different life experiences, but both have the capacity to experience fear, joy, sadness and frustration, and these emotions will be expressed in broadly recognisable ways.

It's a theory that makes sense and is easy to understand. Even very young children show emotional reactions before they have acquired language. Nobody needs to teach an infant to cry when distressed, or to startle at a loud unexpected noise. But does that necessarily mean that some emotions are universal? Not all psychologists think so.

While such observations may suggest that humans are born with important emotional capacities, some researchers argue that this does not automatically prove that these emotions are shared or formed from birth.

Children certainly seem to arrive in the world equipped with the capacity to experience and express emotion. Most adults can also recognise and agree on some basic emotional expressions without needing special training. They'll often agree that a smile signals pleasure, that a scowl suggests anger, or that widened eyes suggest surprise or fear, even if they recognise that a smile isn't always a cue of pleasure, and a scowl doesn't always represent anger.

It was this 'apparent' consistency that persuaded many psychologists that at least some emotions must be universal.

Of course, emotional development involves far more than simply perceiving emotions from others' expressions. Children need to learn which emotions are deemed acceptable in different contexts, how emotions are discussed, when emotions should be shown, and what emotions actually mean.

Consider two children who are upset. One is encouraged to talk openly about feelings.

The other grows up in an environment where emotions are rarely discussed. Although both children may experience similar emotional states, they may develop very different ways of understanding and expressing those emotions. Clearly, culture, family and learning have a role to play.

When Culture Shapes Emotion

As psychologists began studying emotions across different societies, they discovered something interesting. There were similarities. But there were also differences. Different cultures have different emotional "display rules". These are the unwritten rules that influence when, where and how emotions should be expressed. Some cultures encourage emotional openness. Others place greater value on emotional restraint. Some view displays of pride positively. Others emphasise modesty and humility. Children begin learning these rules surprisingly early.

Long before they can discuss psychology, children are observing the emotional behaviour of the adults around them.

They notice:

which emotional expressions receive attention,
which emotional expressions are ignored,
which emotional expressions make adults uncomfortable,
and which emotional expressions are welcomed.

In many ways, emotional learning begins long before emotional understanding.

The Importance of Emotional Language

Another challenge to the idea of universal emotions comes from language.

Imagine two children experiencing a difficult feeling.

One only has the words: angry, sad, happy.

The other can also identify: disappointed, frustrated, embarrassed, overwhelmed, worried.

Both children may be experiencing similar bodily sensations. However, the second child has more emotional concepts available.

Many psychologists believe this matters.

The words children learn provide tools for understanding emotional experiences. The richer emotional vocabulary becomes, the more precisely feelings can often be identified and understood. A child who only knows the word angry may experience a very different emotional world from a child who can distinguish between frustration, disappointment, jealousy, embarrassment and feeling left out.

This is one reason emotional literacy is such an important part of emotional development.

A Contemporary Perspective

Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett argues that emotions may not be fixed packages hidden inside the brain waiting to be triggered. Instead, the brain is constantly trying to make sense of information.

It draws upon:

past experiences,
bodily sensations,
memories,
context,
language,
and prediction.

From this perspective, emotions are not simply reactions. They are constructed experiences.

The brain continually asks:

"What is happening, and what does it mean?"

The answer depends partly on what has been learned throughout life. For children, this perspective has an important implication. Emotional development is not simply about learning to control feelings. It is also about learning what feelings are.

Every conversation about emotions, every story, every social interaction and every shared experience helps children build emotional understanding.

For adults supporting children, this debate is more than an academic argument. If emotions are partly shaped by language, experience and learning, then conversations matter. The words used with children, the emotions modelled by adults, and the opportunities children have to discuss feelings may all influence how emotional experiences are understood.

The Same Feeling Can Be Interpreted Differently

Imagine two children waiting to perform in a school assembly. Both experience:

butterflies in their stomach, a faster heartbeat, heightened alertness.

One child says: "I'm excited."

The other says: "I'm nervous."

The physical sensations may be remarkably similar. What differs is the interpretation.

Psychologists refer to this as appraisal - the meaning we assign to events and experiences. This idea helps explain why helping children think differently about situations can sometimes change how they feel about them.

If a child experiences those butterflies as nervousness, it may be possible to help them view the same sensations differently. A challenge can become an opportunity. A mistake can become a learning experience. A feeling of nervousness can become a sense of excitement.

This does not mean people can simply choose their emotions but meaning assigned to bodily sensations may influence how emotions are experienced. A child may be able to get those butterflies flying in formation.

So, Are Emotions Universal?

There is good evidence that humans share important emotional capacities. There is also strong evidence that language, learning, family experiences and culture shape how emotions are understood and expressed.

Perhaps the most useful conclusion is that emotions are both biological and learned.

Human beings appear to inherit emotional capacities, yet the way those capacities are interpreted, labelled and expressed is shaped by culture, language, relationships and experience. We often predict what it all means based on what happened before.

Children are born with remarkable emotional potential.

What those emotions mean, how they are expressed and how they are interpreted develops over time. As is often the case in psychology, the answer may not be either-or. It may be both-and.

Try This

The next time a child describes a feeling:

Ask what clues helped them identify that emotion.
Explore whether another feeling word might also fit.
Introduce new emotional vocabulary.
Discuss how different people can react differently to the same situation.

Small conversations can play a surprisingly important role in emotional development.

Questions for Reflection

Which emotions were encouraged during your childhood?
Which emotions were discouraged?
How openly were emotions discussed?
Could two children experience the same situation differently?
How might language influence emotional understanding?

Key Takeaway

Children may be born with the capacity for emotion, but emotional understanding develops through relationships, language, culture and experience.

Whether emotions are universal, learned, or a combination of both, helping children develop emotional awareness remains one of the most valuable gifts adults can provide.

References

Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain.

Darwin, C. (1872). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.

Ekman, P. (1992). An Argument for Basic Emotions.

Gendron, M., Roberson, D., van der Vyver, J., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). Perceptions of Emotion from Facial Expressions Are Not Culturally Universal.

Mesquita, B. (2001). Emotions in Collectivist and Individualist Contexts.

Russell, J. A. (1994). Is There Universal Recognition of Emotion from Facial Expression?

Wierzbicka, A. (1999). Emotions Across Languages and Cultures: Diversity and Universals.