Final answer:
Paul Ekman formulated the existence of universal emotions, which are recognized across different cultures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The existence of universal emotions was formulated by psychologist Paul Ekman. In his landmark research in the early 1970s, Ekman studied the facial expressions of a man from a preliterate culture in New Guinea and determined that certain emotional expressions are universally recognized. His findings were in line with Charles Darwin's late 19th-century work, which suggested that emotional expressions are biologically innate to humans. Ekman identified seven emotions with distinct facial expressions: happiness, surprise, sadness, fright, disgust, contempt, and anger.