Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A May 2012 PMID 22509011

Facial expressions of emotion are not culturally universal.

Rachael E Jack, Oliver G B Garrod, Hui Yu, Roberto Caldara, Philippe G Schyns

Mentions

31
Peak: 3 in Jul 2022
across 5 sources since May 2012

Extended reach

36,672
potential audience

Total likes

1,081

Video views

28,782

Mentions per month

May 2012 – Oct 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News19 articles
  • X / Twitter7 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Reddit2 posts
  • Bluesky1 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Several discussions reflect skepticism or debate, such as one user dismissing the scientific rigor of emotion recognition studies and another questioning racial or cultural influences on emotion expression. Others show moderate interest by referring to related works and theories, with some mentioning the relevance of social neuroscience, which indicates an awareness but not deep engagement with the article’s implications.

AgreementLow agreement

Most discussions question or oppose the idea that facial expressions are not universal, indicating some disagreement.

InterestModerate interest

Participants are somewhat interested, especially with references to related research and cultural nuances, but not highly engaged.

EngagementNeutral engagement

There’s a neutral level of engagement, with some users referencing similar theories or suggesting further research but not deeply analyzing the core findings.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions highlight some recognition of the article's potential impact, particularly on how emotions are understood across cultures, but do not demonstrate transformational influence.

Abstract in brief

  • The study challenges the long-held belief that facial expressions of emotion like happiness, anger, and fear are universal across all cultures, suggesting instead that culture plays a significant role in how these emotions are expressed and perceived.
  • Researchers used advanced computer graphics and visual perception techniques to analyze how individuals from Western and Eastern cultures mentally represent facial expressions, finding that Westerners have distinct, consistent facial cues for each emotion while Easterners do not.
  • The findings imply that emotional expressions are influenced by cultural context rather than being purely biological, which impacts fields like psychology, neuroscience, and digital communication by emphasizing the importance of cultural differences in emotional behavior.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Asifa Majid
@asifa_majid · X

@nataliepeluso You might be interested in @rachaelejack’s work on cross-cultural emotion recognition, e.g., https://t.co/LyikqHE3Pp

Jul 12, 2022 · 2 likes · 5,352 followers View post →
The Obscurantist
@TObscurantist · X

@qin_duke @RichardHanania @Steve_Sailer May be racial differences in expression of emotions influencing mask norms. Some studies suggest East Asians interpret emotions focusing more upon eyes vs. mouth expressions. Also pay more heed to contextual info compared to individualistic whites. https://t.co/HLvKPOZtvM

Jul 3, 2022 · 2 likes · 768 followers View post →
kairilove09
@kairilove09 · X

@CrimsonBees @Paracelsus1092 https://t.co/ryFrU58izR

May 3, 2023 · 2 likes · 22 followers View post →
SKitayama
@ShinobuKitayama · X

論文はこちら

Oct 3, 2025 · 1 like · 1,087 followers View post →
0232495186c3145
@0232495186c3145 · X

@4M9Oq_J5K27HLQ happiness often manifests as smiling outwardly ekman's theory https://t.co/ZhCwoNZdRl https://t.co/hxwmE7n2CT opposition https://t.co/wDX6T9RrSl

Apr 8, 2023 · 1 like · 430 followers View post →
dschulz
@dutch_schulz · X

@ripavika Вот одна из самых цитируемых статей на эту тему https://t.co/XrKFMCNxQy

Oct 28, 2022 · 22 followers View post →

All mentions

SKitayama
@ShinobuKitayama · X

論文はこちら

Oct 3, 2025 · 1 like · 1,087 followers View post →
kairilove09
@kairilove09 · X

@CrimsonBees @Paracelsus1092 https://t.co/ryFrU58izR

May 3, 2023 · 2 likes · 22 followers View post →
0232495186c3145
@0232495186c3145 · X

@4M9Oq_J5K27HLQ happiness often manifests as smiling outwardly ekman's theory https://t.co/ZhCwoNZdRl https://t.co/hxwmE7n2CT opposition https://t.co/wDX6T9RrSl

Apr 8, 2023 · 1 like · 430 followers View post →
dschulz
@dutch_schulz · X

@ripavika Вот одна из самых цитируемых статей на эту тему https://t.co/XrKFMCNxQy

Oct 28, 2022 · 22 followers View post →
Asifa Majid
@asifa_majid · X

@nataliepeluso You might be interested in @rachaelejack’s work on cross-cultural emotion recognition, e.g., https://t.co/LyikqHE3Pp

Jul 12, 2022 · 2 likes · 5,352 followers View post →
The Obscurantist
@TObscurantist · X

@qin_duke @RichardHanania @Steve_Sailer May be racial differences in expression of emotions influencing mask norms. Some studies suggest East Asians interpret emotions focusing more upon eyes vs. mouth expressions. Also pay more heed to contextual info compared to individualistic whites. https://t.co/HLvKPOZtvM

Jul 3, 2022 · 2 likes · 768 followers View post →
Lucas
@lucasretrodnf_ · X

@cesarameno @Junio_Seranto @JohnVenturamkt @FotosDeFatos @Vitorstandup Não é ciência. Convido você a fazer uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica séria e meta-análise e me mostrar o contrário. Pode ser um estudo, pode ser que o teatro e veículos publicitários o utilizem, mas isso não o torna uma ciência séria. https://t.co/OeRfWyxBgP

May 5, 2022 View post →
Neuroscience Information Framework
@neuinfo.org · Bluesky

Facial expressions of emotion are not culturally universal - Jack et. al. PNAS 2012 -- impact of social neuroscience bit.ly/Mtj4fD

Jun 19, 2012 View post →
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Dec 12, 2025 View →
1 s2.0 S002209652200251X Main | PDF | Emotions | Facial ...
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https://doi.org/10.1073/ pnas.1200155109. Karayanidis, F., Kelly, M., Chapman, P., Mayes, A., & Johnston, P. (2009). Facial identity and facial expression ...

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Jan 2, 2025 View →
Laughing is the closest thing we have to a universal language. : r ...
Reddit

Nope. Facial expressions are cultural, not universal. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1200155109?doi=10.1073%2Fpnas.1200155109.

Mar 23, 2024 View →
Liar Liar, Pants On Fire, by Jillian Enright | neurodiversified
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Dec 17, 2023 View →
IsItBullshit: Experts who examine body language and tell you if ...
Reddit

... already cited, or reading studies like this https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1200155109 · momchilandonov. • 3mo ago • Edited 3mo ago.

Jul 13, 2022 View →
Facial Expressions and Emoticons 'not universal' | by Miri Choi ...
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... universal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2012;109(19):7241–7244. doi:10.1073/pnas.1200155109. 2. 1. Organic Korean.

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《PNAS》八大热点文章- 生物通
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May 24, 2012 View →
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Apr 19, 2012 View →
Group finds facial expressions not as universal as thought
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... 10.1073/pnas.1200155109. Abstract Since Darwin's seminal works, the universality of facial expressions of emotion has remained one of the ...

Apr 17, 2012 View →
Gesichtsausdrücke für Gefühle sind doch nicht bei allen Kulturen ...
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... 10.1073/pnas.1200155109). (PNAS / Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 17.04.2012 – BOS). 17. April 2012. Keine Meldungen mehr ...

Apr 17, 2012 View →
Ungleiche Spiegel der Emotionen - wissenschaft.de
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... PNAS. Der Vergleich der typisch asiatischen ... 10.1073/pnas.1200155109 © wissenschaft.de ? Martin Vieweg. © wissenschaft.de. Teilen:.

Apr 16, 2012 View →
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