The 40 or so muscles in the human face can be activated in different combinations to create thousands of expressions. But do these expressions look the same and communicate the same meaning around the world, regardless of culture? Is one person’s smile another’s grimace?
人類面部有四十條左右的肌肉, 可以用不同的組合來啟動, 創造出數千種表情。 但這些表情看來起的樣子, 以及傳達的意思, 在全世界任何文化中都一樣嗎? 一個人的微笑是否會是 另一個人的鬼臉?
Charles Darwin theorized that emotional expression was a common human feature. But he was in the minority. Until the mid-20th century, many researchers believed that the specific ways we show emotion were learned behaviors that varied across cultures. Personality theorist Silvan Tomkins was one of the few to insist otherwise. Tomkins claimed that certain affects— emotional states and their associated facial expressions— were universal.
查爾斯達爾文的理論是, 情緒表情是人類的共同特徵。 但持這種看法的人是少數。 直到二十世紀中期, 許多研究者相信, 我們展現情緒的特定方式 是習得的行為,會因文化而異。 人格理論學家西爾文湯姆金斯 是少數堅持不同看法的人之一。 湯姆金斯主張,某些情感—— 情緒狀態及其相關的面部表情—— 是全球一致的。
In the 1960s, psychologist Paul Ekman set about testing this theory by examining hundreds of hours of film footage of remote tribes isolated from the modern world. Ekman found the native peoples’ expressions to be not only familiar, but occurring in precisely the situations he would expect. Conversely, he ran tests with tribes who had no prior exposure to Western culture. They were able to correctly match photos of different facial expressions with stories designed to trigger particular feelings. Over the next few decades, further research has corroborated Darwin’s idea that some of our most important emotional expressions are in fact universal. The degrees of expression appropriate to a given situation can, however, vary greatly across cultures.
在六〇年代,心理學家 保羅艾克曼著手測試這個理論, 他檢視了數百小時的影片, 影片中是和現代世界 隔離的偏遠部落。 艾克曼發現,原住民的 表情不僅很眼熟, 且發生的情境也都在他的意料之中。 相反地,他針對先前從未接觸過 西方文化的部落進行一些測試。 他們能夠正確地將 不同面部表情的照片 和設計來觸發 特定感受的故事做連結。 在那之後的幾十年, 進一步的研究已經 證實了達爾文的想法, 我們有一些最重要的情緒表情 事實上是全球一致的。 然而在固定情境的情況下, 表情合適的程度 則會因文化而有很大的差異。
For instance, researchers have studied facial expression in people who are born blind, hypothesizing that if expressions are universal, they would be displayed in the same way as sighted people. In one study, both blind and sighted athletes displayed the same expressions of emotion when winning or losing their matches.
比如,研究者探究了 天生視障者的面部表情, 他們的假設是, 如果表情是全球一致的, 視障者和非視障者的 表現方式應該會一樣。 在一項研究中, 視障和非視障的運動員 在輸掉和贏得比賽時, 都會展現出一樣的情緒表情。
Further evidence can be found in our evolutionary relatives. Comparisons of facial expression between humans and non-human mammals have found similarities in the structure and movement of facial muscles. Chimpanzee laughter looks different from ours, but uses some of the same muscle movements.
在我們的演化親戚身上 還能找到進一步的證據。 針對人類和其他哺乳動物 做面部表情比較, 結果發現,面部肌肉的 結構和動作有相似性。 黑猩猩的笑看起來 和我們的笑不一樣, 但動用到的是相同的肌肉。
Back in the 60s, Ekman identified six core expressions. Anger is accompanied by lowered eyebrows drawn together, tense and narrowed eyes, and tight lips; disgust, by the lips pulled up and the nose crinkling. In fear, the upper white of the eyes are revealed as the eyebrows raise and the mouth stretches open, while surprise looks similar, but with rounded eyebrows and relaxed lips. Sadness is indicated by the inner corners of the eyebrows being drawn inwards and upwards, drooping eyes, and a downturned mouth. And of course there’s happiness: lips drawn up and back, and raised cheeks causing wrinkling around the eyes. More recently, researchers have proposed additional entries such as contempt, shame, and disapproval, but opinions vary on how distinct boundaries between these categories can be drawn.
在六〇年代時,艾克曼 找出了六種核心表情。 伴隨著憤怒的表情 是將眉毛下壓並擠在一起, 眼睛繃緊且瞇起來, 嘴脣會緊閉; 噁心的表情則是 嘴脣向上拉及鼻子皺縮。 恐懼時,因為眉毛上揚, 所以眼睛上方的眼白露出, 嘴巴會延伸張開, 驚訝的表情很類似, 差別在眉毛會是 圓弧狀的,嘴脣會放鬆。 傷心時,眉毛內側的角落 會向內、向上拉, 眼睛下垂, 嘴巴向下彎。 當然,還有快樂: 嘴脣向上、向後拉, 因為臉頰提起,造成眼睛有皺紋。 更近期,有研究者提出了 額外的幾個項目, 比如輕視、 羞恥, 和不贊成, 但這些類別之間的界線如何劃分, 各界的意見都不同。
So if Ekman and other researchers are correct, what makes certain expressions universal? And why are they expressed in these particular ways? Scientists have a lot of theories rooted in our evolutionary history. One is that certain expressions are important for survival. Fear and surprise could signal to others an immediate danger. Studies of humans and some other primates have found that we pay more attention to faces that signal threats over neutral faces, particularly when we’re already on high alert.
所以,如果艾克曼 及其他研究者是對的, 為什麼這些表情會全球一致? 且為什麼會用這些 特定的方式來表現? 科學家有許多理論 以我們的演化史為基礎。 其中一項理論是,某些表情 對於生存而言是很重要的。 恐懼和驚訝的表情能夠馬上 示意其他人有危險發生。 針對人類與其他靈長類所做的研究 已經發現,相對於中性的臉孔, 我們對於示意威脅的臉孔 會更加注意, 特別是當我們已經 在高度警戒狀態時。
Expressions also could help improve group fitness by communicating our internal states to those around us. Sadness, for example, signals to the group that something’s wrong. There’s some evidence that expressions might be even more directly linked to our physiology. The fear expression, for instance, could directly improve survival in potentially dangerous situations by letting our eyes absorb more light and our lungs take in more air, preparing us to fight or flee.
表情也能夠協助改善團體健康, 因為我們會向周圍的人 傳達關於我們內在狀態的訊息。 比如,悲傷就能向團體示意 有不對勁的地方。 有證據顯示, 表情和我們的生理可能 有更直接的關聯。 比如,恐懼的表情 在危險的情境中可以 直接改善生存的機會, 因為眼睛可以吸收更多光, 肺部吸入更多空氣, 讓我們準備作戰或逃離。
There’s still much research to be done in understanding emotional expression, particularly as we learn more about the inner workings of the brain. But if you ever find yourself among strangers in a strange land, a friendly smile could go a long way.
在了解情緒的表情方面, 還需要做很多研究, 特別是因為我們現在也 更了解大腦內部的運作方式。 但如果你身在異地, 身邊都是陌生人時, 一個友善的微笑是很有幫助的。