Emotions and culture society. Therefore, it can be said that culture is a necessary framework for researchers to understand variations in emotions. In Darwin's opening chapter of "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals", (1872/1998) Darwin considered the face to be the preeminent medium of emotional expression in humans, and capable of representing both major emotions and subtle variations within each one. Darwin's ideas about facial expressions and his reports of cultural differences became the foundation for ethological research strategies. Silvan Tomkins' (1962) "Affect Theory" 1963) built upon Darwin's research, arguing that facial expressions are biologically based, and universal manifestations 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