Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
The Universal Emotions theory, proposed by Paul Ekman, suggests that there are a set of basic emotions that are universally recognized and expressed in the same way across different cultures.
Related terms
Cultural Relativity: This term refers to the idea that emotions and their expressions may vary across different cultures.
Display Rules: These are cultural norms or social expectations that dictate how emotions should be expressed or suppressed in specific situations.