In Search Of Universals In Human Emotion -- Dr. Paul Ekman at Exploratorim in January January 26, 2008

In 1967, Paul Ekman traveled to a remote community in New Guinea to resolve a century-long debate: are expressions of emotion universal or culture-specific? Charles Darwin considered facial expressions of emotion to be the product of evolution, and therefore common to all people. In contrast, the anthropologist Margaret Mead believed they varied from culture to culture, like language. Ekman’s findings—among a people who had seen few outsiders and no magazines, photographs, or film—proved that certain facial expressions are, as Darwin predicted, universal.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this landmark expedition, Dr. Ekman will meet with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Robert Levenson to discuss the broader implications of his research into the emotions. In addition, he’ll show photographs and rare, never-before-seen films documenting that time.

Dr. Paul Ekman is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCSF and Director of the Paul Ekman Group, LLC. He was named by the American Psychological Association as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. Ekman has written many books, including The Nature of Emotion (1994), What the Face Reveals (1997), Telling Lies (1985), and Emotions Revealed (2003). Articles reporting on Dr. Ekman's work have appeared in Time, Smithsonian, Psychology Today, the New Yorker, and other magazines, both American and foreign. Numerous articles about his work have also appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and other national newspapers. Dr. Ekman has appeared on 48 Hours, Dateline, Good Morning America, 20/20, Larry King, Oprah, Johnny Carson, and many other TV programs. He has also been featured on various public television programs such as News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and Bill Moyers' The Truth About Lying.

Dr. Robert Levenson is Director and Principal Investigator of the Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory at UC Berkeley, which researches human emotion.

Official Website: http://www.exploratorium.edu/pr/documents/08-1Mind.html