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The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals is Charles Darwin's third major work of evolutionary theory, following On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871). Initially intended as a chapter in The Descent of Man, The Expression grew in length and was published separately in 1872. This book concerns the biological aspects of emotional behavior, and Darwin explores the animal origins of such human characteristics as smiling and frowning, the shrugging of shoulders, the lifting of the eyebrows in surprise, and the baring of teeth in an angry sneer. A German translation of The Expression appeared in 1872; Dutch and French versions followed in 1873 and 1874. Since its first publication, The Expression has never been out of print, but it has also been described as Darwin's "forgotten masterpiece"; psychologist Paul Ekman has argued that The Expression is the foundational text for modern scientific psychology. Before Darwin, human emotional life had posed problems to the traditional philosophical categories of mind and body. Darwin's interest can be traced to his time as an Edinburgh medical student and the 1824 edition of Sir Charles Bell's Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression which argued for a spiritual dimension to the subject. In contrast, Darwin's biological approach links emotions to their origins in animal behaviour, and allows cultural factors only an auxiliary role in the shaping of expression. This biological emphasis leads to a concentration on six different emotional states: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. It also leads to an appreciation of the universal nature of expression, with its implication of a single origin for the entire human species; and Darwin points to the importance of emotional communication with children in their psychological development. Darwin sought out the opinions of some leading psychiatrists, notably James Crichton-Browne, in the preparation of the book which forms his main contribution to psychology. Amongst the innovations with this book are Darwin's circulation of a questionnaire (probably inspired by his cousin, Francis Galton) during his preparatory research; simple psychology experiments on the recognition of emotions with his friends and family; and (borrowing from Duchenne de Boulogne, a physician at the Salpêtrière) the use of photography in his presentation of scientific information. Publisher John Murray warned Darwin that including the photographs would "poke a hole in the profits" of the book and withheld the publication of some which are discussed in the text. Nevertheless, The Expression of the Emotions is an important landmark in the history of book illustration. The book's development: biographical aspects Background: In the weeks before Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838, Charles Darwin sought medical advice on his mysterious physical symptoms, and then travelled to Scotland for a period of rest and a "geologizing expedition" – but spent some of his time re-exploring the old haunts of his undergraduate days. On the day of the coronation, 28 June 1838, Darwin was in Edinburgh. Two weeks later (15 July 1838), he opened a private notebook for philosophical and psychological commentary – the M (metaphysics) Notebook – and, over the next three months, filled it with his thoughts about possible interactions of hereditary influences with the psychological aspects of life. It should also be noted that Darwin made his first attempt at autobiography in August 1838. The critical importance of the M Notebook lies in its timing in relation to Darwin's conception of 'natural selection' , which he fully grasped towards the end of September 1838 as he encountered the sixth edition of Thomas Malthus' Essay on Population (1826). The M Notebook (strangely silent about Malthus and his Essay on Population which are discussed in Notebooks D and N) has a tentative and fragmented quality, especially in Darwin's descriptions of conversation with his father - a successful doctor with a special interest in psychiatric problems - about recurring patterns of behavior in successive generations of his patients' families. Darwin was anxious about the materialistic drift in his thinking – and of the suspicions which this might arouse in early Victorian England – at the time, he was mentally preparing for marriage with his cousin Emma Wedgwood who held firm Christian beliefs. On 21 September 1838, the M Notebook discloses a confused and disturbing dream in which Darwin found himself involved in a public execution where the corpse came to life and joked about not running away and facing death like a hero. In summary: Darwin assembled the central features of his evolutionary theory as he was developing an appreciation of human behavior and family life – and he was in some emotional turmoil. A detailed discussion of the significance of the M Notebook can be found in Paul H. Barrett's Metaphysics, Materialism and the Evolution of Mind – Early Writings of Charles Darwin (1980). Mr Browne then read his paper on organization as connected with Life and Mind... that Mind, as far as one individual sense and consciousness is concerned, is material... Mental dispositions are determined by the size and constitution of the brain... and these are transmitted by hereditary descent. To avoid stating how far I believe in Materialism, say only that emotions, instincts, degrees of talent, which are hereditary are so because brain of child resembles parent stock – (and phrenologists state that brain alters).... Development of the Text 1866–1872: Very little of Darwin's emotional turmoil surfaced in On the Origin of Species in 1859, although Chapter 7 contains a mildly expressed argument on instinctive behaviour. In the public management of his evolutionary theory, Darwin understood that its relevance to human emotional life could draw a hostile response. Nevertheless, while preparing the text of The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication in 1866, Darwin took the decision to publish a book on human ancestry, sexual selection and emotional life. After his initial correspondence with the psychiatrist James Crichton-Browne, Darwin set aside his material concerning emotional expression in order to complete The Descent of Man, which covered human ancestry and sexual selection. He finished work on The Descent of Man on 15 January 1871. Two days later, he started on The Expression of the Emotions and, working quickly, completed most of the text within four months; progress then slowed because of work required on the sixth (and final) edition of The Origin of Species and an attack from St George Jackson Mivart. However, on 22 August 1872, he finished work on the proofs. In this book, Darwin brings his evolutionary theory into close approximation with behavioural science, although many commentators have remarked on a kind of spectral Lamarckism haunting the text of The Expression. Universal Nature of Expres.... Discover the Charles Darwin Sharon Messenger popular books. 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