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Related Experiment Video

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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

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What Scientists Who Study Emotion Agree About.

¹University of California, San Francisco and Paul Ekman Group, LLC ekmanpaul15@gmail.com.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science

|January 29, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The study surveyed scientists studying emotion, finding broad agreement on evidence supporting 19th-century theories by Darwin and Wundt. Disagreements within the field of emotion research were also identified.

Keywords:

basic emotions emotion survey facial expression universality

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Affective Science

Background:

The field of emotion research has experienced significant growth, with nearly 250 scientists actively studying emotion.
Historical theories of emotion, notably those proposed by Darwin and Wundt in the 19th century, provide a foundational context for current research.

Purpose of the Study:

To survey the current landscape of emotion research.
To identify areas of consensus and disagreement among emotion scientists.
To assess the alignment of contemporary findings with historical emotion theories.

Main Methods:

A survey was conducted among scientists actively engaged in emotion research.
Data analysis focused on identifying points of agreement and divergence in the field.
Findings were compared against established 19th-century proposals regarding the nature of emotion.

Main Results:

High agreement was found regarding the evidence supporting the nature of emotion.
Contemporary findings largely support aspects of Charles Darwin's and Wilhelm Wundt's 19th-century proposals on emotion.
Specific topics within emotion research where disagreements persist were identified.

Conclusions:

The field of emotion research shows substantial consensus on key evidential aspects.
Current scientific understanding of emotion aligns with significant elements of foundational 19th-century theories.
Further research is needed to resolve ongoing debates and disagreements within emotion science.