Table of Contents
Introduction
Emotion refers to a natural state of mind determined by a person’s mood, circumstances, or interaction with other people (Black, & Yacoob, 1995). Emotions are a worldwide occurrence, but they are influenced by culture. Certain emotions, however, are universal, and they are experienced in the same manner as a response to some events in all societies. Others, however, have significant cultural variations in their precursor events, how they are felt, the responses they incite, as well as, how they are perceived by the immediate society. This paper discusses what the universal emotions are, how we know that these emotions are universal, as well as what utility the universality holds for human communication.
What Are the Universal Emotions?
There are six emotions, which have been found to be common for all cultures and people; therefore, they are considered to be universal ones. They include happiness, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear. Psychological research done by Black and Yacoob (1995) confirmed the above assertion.
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How Do We Know These Emotions Are Universal?
Several research studies have concluded that the above mentioned emotions are universal. For instance, in the book, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Darwin, Ekman, and Prodger (2002), it is suggested that there are some fundamental emotions which have an evolutionary origin and are expressed all over the world, and they include happiness, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, and anger. The concept was explored further by Paul Ekman, a psychologist, who carried out cross cultural research and gave a report that confirmed the above mentioned emotions to be the worldwide human characteristics (Ekman, 2007).
What Utility Does Universality Hold For Human Communication?
Human communication is the act, through which information is exchanged or conveyed from one person to another. Talking is the most common form of human communication. The universality of these emotions enhances people’s cross-cultural understanding of one another, thus promoting unity and peace.
Conclusion
Emotion is defined as a natural state of mind derived from a person’s mood, circumstances, or interactions with others. While some emotions have been found to be universal across all cultures, others have considerable variations. Examples of universal emotions include happiness, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear. Various studies have confirmed the universality of these emotions, for instance, the research by Darwin, Ekman, and Prodger (2002) suggested that there are some fundamental emotions that have an evolutionary origin and are expressed universally. The universality of human emotions is helpful in communication, because it increases human understanding of one another, and consequently, promotes unity and peace.
