These 11 Facial Expressions Have Helped Humans Survive Since Cave Times

Wide eyes

Recognizing facial expressions is a crucial part of emotional IQ, although there could be such a thing as too much emotional intelligence. The origin of facial expressions can help us understand what they signify, according to researcher Daniel Lee of the University of Colorado Boulder. His theory is that expressions evolved for functional reasons first, to gain information about our surroundings to increase our chances of survival. Wide eyes when we’re afraid, for example, help us take in more visual stimuli, like a camera lens opening. “Fear prioritizes sensitivity—getting more information,” Lee says. “Wide eyes that enhance sensitivity for the expresser transmits information sensitivity to the receiver.” Lee has published evidence that this expression was socially co-opted—it became a signal to others—from its sensory-gathering origins.