The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals the issues at play, writing: "The force of language is much aided by the expressive movements of the face and body" - hinting at a neurological intimacy of language with psychomotor function (body language),and underscoring the social value of expression. Darwin's Sources on Emotional Expression: Darwin had listened to a discussion about emotional expression at the Plinian Society in December 1826 when he was a medical student at Edinburgh University. This had been prompted by the publication of Sir Charles Bell's "Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression"; and in his presentation, the phrenologist William A.F. Browne (in a spirited account of
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals induce directly opposing movements. Finally, he discusses a "direct action of the nervous system", in which an overflow of emotion is widely discharged, producing more generally expressed emotions. This is followed by a section (three more chapters) on modes of emotional expression peculiar to particular species, including man. He then moves on to the main argument with his characteristic approach of astonishingly widespread and detailed observations. Chapter 7 discusses "low spirits", including anxiety, grief, dejection and despair; and the contrasting Chapter 8 "high spirits" with joy, love, tender feelings and devotion. Subsequent chapters include considerations of "reflection and meditation" (associated