Are facial expressions emotional or social? This is an age-old question in the world of nature vs. nurture. Facial expressions are created with facial muscle movements. In all of the world a smile means happiness and joy, while a scowl means anger and disapproval. But, is this the cause of a very ancient social language or is it innate?
There have been numerous studies to provide information and insight into the question. Recently, in the last decade, scientists have tested blind persons vs. seeing persons for similar facial expressions. The blind cannot learn a social facial expression by watching others. Their expressions are innate.
The results of these studies were interesting and showed that facial expressions were emotional, not social. The emotions portrayed by a seeing person and blind people were quite similar. This proved that the facial expressions were not a learned social behavior.
But, do social facial expressions also exist? Yes, of course. A smile in passing or at a person on the street may express something much different than happiness or joy. It may be a social technique that is learned. In different cultures, smiles in social situations are not appropriate where they would be in other cultures. Some expressions are social not emotional.