Final answer:
Most humans have the innate ability to interpret facial expressions, and the idea that they commonly struggle with this is false. Expressions of basic emotions are universal across cultures, though certain disorders can impair this ability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The capacity to interpret facial expressions is an important aspect of human nonverbal communication and emotional understanding. The final answer to whether most humans have difficulty interpreting other people's facial expressions is false. Most humans are naturally equipped with the ability to recognize and produce facial expressions of emotions, which are largely universal. According to research by Paul Ekman and others, even though cultural display rules might affect the exhibition of emotions, the fundamental expressions for emotions such as happiness, surprise, sadness, disgust, contempt, and anger are consistent across cultures. This includes individuals with visual impairments, such as congenitally blind people, who are capable of expressing these emotions facially without having ever seen them.
Evidence suggests that the recognition of facial expressions is innate rather than learned. This inherent skill, however, may be compromised in certain conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder or prosopagnosia—also known as face blindness—where affected individuals lose the ability to recognize faces due to trauma or genetic factors. Yet, for the general population, interpreting facial expressions is a foundational aspect of human interaction that aids in the conveyance of emotions and intentions.