Cited by 160Primate Behavior and EcologyFace Recognition and PerceptionEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Understanding chimpanzee facial expression: insights into the evolution of communication

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Parr, Lisa A., Waller, Bridget M.·2006·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

Abstract

To understand the evolution of emotional communication, comparative research on facial expression similarities between humans and related species is essential. Chimpanzees display a complex, flexible facial expression repertoire with many physical and functional similarities to humans. This paper reviews what is known about these facial expression repertoires, discusses the importance of social organization in understanding the meaning of different expressions, and introduces a new coding system, the ChimpFACS, and describes how it can be used to determine homologies between human and chimpanzee facial expressions. Finally, it reviews previous studies on the categorization of facial expressions by chimpanzees using computerized tasks, and discusses the importance of configural processing for this skill in both humans and chimpanzees. Future directions for understanding the evolution of emotional communication will include studies on the social function of facial expressions in ongoing social interactions, the development of facial expression communication and more studies that examine the perception of these important social signals.

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Crossref · 10.1093/scan/nsl031

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  • Chimpanzees have strikingly similar underlying mimetic musculature in their faces to humans.

    “Humans' closest relatives in the animal kingdom, namely chimpanzees, have strikingly similar underlying mimetic musculature in their faces (Parr and Waller, 2006).”
  • Aversive responses, including feelings of fear or anxiety, are modulated by hardwired neural circuits that share common neuroarchitectures among mammals.

    “Aversive responses, including feelings of fear or anxiety, are modulated by hardwired neural circuits that share common neuroarchitectures among mammals (Le Doux, 2012;Parr and Waller, 2006).”

    From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as Parr and Waller, 2006

    The Natural Ethology section discusses fear-related facial displays across mammals, but not the neural circuits governing fear or anxiety. The section on facial-expression categorization mentions neural systems for processing faces, not hardwired aversive-response circuits or shared mammalian neuroarchitecture. Searches for fear and anxiety circuitry found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Ekman, P., Friesen, W.V. (1978). Facial Action Coding System. California: Consulting Psychology Press.
  2. Parr, L.A., Maestripieri, D. (2003). Nonvocal communication in nonhuman primates. In: Maestripieri, D., editor. Primate Psychology: The Mind and Behavior of Human and Nonhuman Primates. Chicago: Chicago University Press, pp. 324-358.
  3. Smith, W.J. (1977). The Behaviour of Communication. An Ethological Approach. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  4. Vick, S.J., Waller, B.M., Parr, L.A., Pasqualini-Smith, M., Bard, K.A. (in press). A cross species comparison of facial morphology and movement in humans and chimpanzees using FACS. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.

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Authors
Parr, L. A., & Waller, B. M.
Affiliations
Emory University (US)
Venue
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Published
2006-12-01
Volume
1
Issue
3
Pages
221-228
ISSN
  • 1749-5016 (ISSN-L)
  • 1749-5024
OpenAlex
W2125674694
Cited by
160
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 5
FWCI
0.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University (R01-MH068791, -00165, RR 00165)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH068791)
  • National Center for Research Resources (RR-00 165, P51RR000165)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
emotional communication, evolution of communication, configural processing, facial expression categorization, social organization
MeSH terms
Affect, Animals, Animal Communication, Behavior, Animal, Pan troglodytes, Biological Evolution, Facial Expression, Humans, Social Behavior, Social Perception

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