Final answer:
Human emotional expressions are considered an adaptive means of communicating one's feelings, according to Charles Darwin and psychologists. This view is supported by evolutionary psychology, which suggests that such expressions could have been naturally selected for their survival and reproductive advantages. Research indicates that certain emotional expressions are universal, demonstrating a potential evolutionary basis for this communicative behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles Darwin and psychologists consider human emotional expressions to be an adaptive means of communicating one's feelings to others. This view is grounded in the field of evolutionary psychology, which posits that many psychological phenomena, including emotions, may have evolved as adaptations. The evolutionary perspective looks at how behaviors and traits that contribute to an individual's survival or reproductive success are more likely to be passed on to future generations.
According to Darwin's theories presented in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, emotional expressions serve a communicative function and have been naturally selected because they had a positive effect on survival and reproduction. This contradicts the idea that these expressions are learned solely through classical conditioning, as proposed by John B. Watson based on the work of Pavlov.
In support of the universality and evolutionary basis of emotional expressions, Paul Ekman's research found that certain emotional expressions are consistent across different cultures, suggesting a genetic basis for these behaviors. Emotional expressions can provide critical information about intentions and feelings, which is essential in social interactions and has likely played a role in human evolution, by influencing individuals' ability to form alliances, avoid threats, and choose appropriate mates.
While certain psychological approaches, such as operant conditioning, attempt to explain all human behavior, evolutionary psychology provides a broader explanation that encompasses the genetic basis and adaptiveness of these expressions. Essentially, emotional expressions are deeply rooted in our evolutionary past and serve important social functions that are still relevant today.