In 1872, Charles Darwin proposed that many expressions of emotion are biologically innate and evolutionarily adaptive, signaling important social information. He argued that expressions of emotion serve us by prompting an immediate action that benefits us, given our environmental circumstances. If we see an angry face coming at us, we flee. But to know that the face signifies anger, we first have to recognize that particular expression. In other words, Darwin was suggesting, certain expressions of emotion are universal—recognized in virtually all cultures.
