The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin (adult books to read TXT) 📕

concur in leading to this movement. It has often been supposed[5] that the sense of hearing is thus rendered more acute; but I have watched persons listening intently to a slight noise, the nature and source of which they knew perfectly, and they did not open their mouths.

Therefore I at one time imagined that the open mouth might aid in distinguishing the direction whence a sound proceeded, by giving another channel for its entrance into the ear through the eustachian tube, But Dr. W. Ogle[6] has been so kind as to search the best recent authorities on the functions of the eustachian tube, and he informs me that it is almost conclusively proved that it remains closed except during the act of deglutition; and that in persons in whom the tube remains abnormally open, the sense of hearing, as far as external sounds are concerned, is by no means improved; on the contrary, it is impaired by the respiratory sounds being rendered more distinct. If a watch be placed within the mouth, but not allowed to touch the sides, the ticking is heard much less plainly than when held outside. In persons in whom from disease or a cold the eustachian tube is permanently or temporarily closed, the sense of hearing is injured; but this may be accounted for by mucus accumulating within the tube, and the consequent exclusion of air.

We may therefore infer that the mouth is not kept open under the sense of astonishment for the sake of hearing sounds more distinctly; notwithstanding that most deaf people keep their mouths open.

 

[4] Mecanisme de la Physionomie,’ Album, p. 6.

 

[5] See, for instance, Dr. Piderit (`Mimik und Physiognomik,’ s.

88), who has a good discussion on the expression of surprise.

 

[6] Dr. Murie has also given me information leading to the same conclusion, derived in part from comparative anatomy.

 

Every sudden emotion, including astonishment, quickens the action of the heart, and with it the respiration. Now we can breathe, as Gratiolet remarks[7] and as appears to me to be the case, much more quietly through the open mouth than through the nostrils.

Therefore, when we wish to listen intently to any sound, we either stop breathing, or breathe as quietly as possible, by opening our mouths, at the same time keeping our bodies motionless.

One of my sons was awakened in the night by a noise under circumstances which naturally led to great care, and after a few minutes he perceived that his mouth was widely open.

He then became conscious that he had opened it for the sake of breathing as quietly as possible. This view receives support from the reversed case which occurs with dogs.

A dog when panting after exercise, or on a hot day, breathes loudly; but if his attention be suddenly aroused, he instantly pricks his ears to listen, shuts his mouth, and breathes quietly, as he is enabled to do, through his nostrils.

 

When the attention is concentrated for a length of time with fixed earnestness on any object or subject, all the organs of the body are forgotten and neglected;[8] and as the nervous energy of each individual is limited in amount, little is transmitted to any part of the system, excepting that which is at the time brought into energetic action. Therefore many of the muscles tend to become relaxed, and the jaw drops from its own weight.

This will account for the dropping of the jaw and open mouth of a man stupefied with amazement, and perhaps when less strongly affected.

I have noticed this appearance, as I find recorded in my notes, in very young children when they were only moderately surprised.

 

[7] `De la Physionomie,’ 1865, p. 234.

 

[8] See, on this subject, Gratiolet, ibid. p. 254.

 

There is still another and highly effective cause, leading to the mouth being opened, when we are astonished, and more especially when we are suddenly startled. We can draw a full and deep inspiration much more easily through the widely open mouth than through the nostrils.

Now when we start at any sudden sound or sight, almost all the muscles of the body are involuntarily and momentarily thrown into strong action, for the sake of guarding ourselves against or jumping away from the danger, which we habitually associate with anything unexpected.

But we always unconsciously prepare ourselves for any great exertion, as formerly explained, by first taking a deep and full inspiration, and we consequently open our mouths. If no exertion follows, and we still remain astonished, we cease for a time to breathe, or breathe as quietly as possible, in order that every sound may be distinctly heard.

Or again, if our attention continues long and earnestly absorbed, all our muscles become relaxed, and the jaw, which was at first suddenly opened, remains dropped. Thus several causes concur towards this same movement, whenever surprise, astonishment, or amazement is felt.

 

Although when thus affected, our mouths are generally opened, yet the lips are often a little protruded. This fact reminds us of the same movement, though in a much more strongly marked degree, in the chimpanzee and orang when astonished.

As a strong expiration naturally follows the deep inspiration which accompanies the first sense of startled surprise, and as the lips are often protruded, the various sounds which are then commonly uttered can apparently be accounted for.

But sometimes a strong expiration alone is heard; thus Laura Bridgman, when amazed, rounds and protrudes her lips, opens them, and breathes strongly.[9] One of the commonest sounds is a deep Oh; and this would naturally follow, as explained by Helmholtz, from the mouth being moderately opened and the lips protruded.

On a quiet night some rockets were fired from the `Beagle,’ in a little creek at Tahiti, to amuse the natives; and as each rocket, was let off there was absolute silence, but this was invariably followed by a deep groaning Oh, resounding all round the bay.

Mr. Washington Matthews says that the North American Indians express astonishment by a groan; and the negroes on the West Coast of Africa, according to Mr. Winwood Reade, protrude their lips, and make a sound like heigh, heigh. If the mouth is not much opened, whilst the lips are considerably protruded, a blowing, hissing, or whistling noise is produced.

Mr. R. Brough Smith informs me that an Australian from the interior was taken to the theatre to see an acrobat rapidly turning head over heels: “he was greatly astonished, and protruded his lips, making a noise with his mouth as if blowing out a match.”

According to Mr. Bulmer the Australians, when surprised, utter the exclamation korki, “and to do this the mouth is drawn out as if going to whistle.” We Europeans often whistle as a sign of surprise; thus, in a recent novel[10] it is said, “here the man expressed his astonishment and disapprobation by a prolonged whistle.” A Kafir girl, as Mr. J. Mansel Weale informs me, “on hearing of the high price of an article, raised her eyebrows and whistled just as a European would.”

Mr. Wedgwood remarks that such sounds are written down as whew, and they serve as interjections for surprise.

 

[9] Lieber, `On the Vocal Sounds of Laura Bridgman,’

Smithsonian Contributions, 1851, vol. ii. p. 7.

 

[10] `Wenderholme,’ vol. ii. p. 91.

 

According to three other observers, the Australians often evince astonishment by a clucking noise. Europeans also sometimes express gentle surprise by a little clicking noise of nearly the same kind.

We have seen that when we are startled, the mouth is suddenly opened; and if the tongue happens to be then pressed closely against the palate, its sudden withdrawal will produce a sound of this kind, which might thus come to express surprise.

 

Turning to gestures of the body. A surprised person often raises his opened hands high above his head, or by bending his arms only to the level of his face. The flat palms are directed towards the person who causes this feeling, and the straightened fingers are separated. This gesture is represented by Mr. Rejlander in Plate VII. fig. 1. In the `Last Supper,’

by Leonardo da Vinci, two of the Apostles have their hands half uplifted, clearly expressive of their astonishment.

A trustworthy observer told me that he had lately met his wife under most unexpected circumstances: “She started, opened her mouth and eyes very widely, and threw up both her arms above her head.”

Several years ago I was surprised by seeing several of my young children earnestly doing something together on the ground; but the distance was too great for me to ask what they were about.

Therefore I threw up my open hands with extended fingers above my head; and as soon as I had done this, I became conscious of the action.

I then waited, without saying a word, to see if my children had understood this gesture; and as they came running to me they cried out, “We saw that you were astonished at us.”

I do not know whether this gesture is common to the various races of man, as I neglected to make inquiries on this head.

That it is innate or natural may be inferred from the fact that Laura Bridgman, when amazed, “spreads her arms and turns her hands with extended fingers upwards;”[11] nor is it likely, considering that the feeling of surprise is generally a brief one, that she should have learnt this gesture through her keen sense of touch.

 

Huschke describes[12] a somewhat different yet allied gesture, which he says is exhibited by persons when astonished. They hold themselves erect, with the features as before described, but with the straightened arms extended backwards—the stretched fingers being separated from each other.

I have never myself seen this gesture; but Huschke is probably correct; for a friend asked another man how he would express great astonishment, and he at once threw himself into this attitude.

 

These gestures are, I believe, explicable on the principle of antithesis.

We have seen that an indignant man holds his head erect, squares his shoulders, turns out his elbows, often clenches his fist, frowns, and closes his mouth; whilst the attitude of a helpless man is in every one of these details the reverse. Now, a man in an ordinary frame of mind, doing nothing and thinking of nothing in particular, usually keeps his two arms suspended laxly by his sides, with his hands somewhat flexed, and the fingers near together. Therefore, to raise the arms suddenly, either the whole arms or the forearms, to open the palms flat, and to separate the fingers,—or, again, to straighten the arms, extending them backwards with separated fingers,—are movements in complete antithesis to those preserved under an indifferent frame of mind, and they are, in consequence, unconsciously assumed by an astonished man.

There is, also, often a desire to display surprise in a conspicuous manner, and the above attitudes are well fitted for this purpose.

It may be asked why should surprise, and only a few other states of the mind, be exhibited by movements in antithesis to others.

But this principle will not be brought into play in the case of those emotions, such as terror, great joy, suffering, or rage, which naturally lead to certain lines of action and produce certain effects on the body, for the whole system is thus preoccupied; and these emotions are already thus expressed with the greatest plainness.

 

[11] Lieber, `On the Vocal Sounds,’ &c., ibid. p. 7.

 

[12] Huschke, `Mimices et Physiognomices,’ 1821, p. 18. Gratiolet (De la Phys. p. 255) gives a figure of a man in this attitude, which, however, seems to me expressive of fear combined with astonishment.

Le Brun also refers (Lavater, vol. ix. p. 299) to the hands of an astonished man being opened.