Basic emotions: Ekman's six, the seventh, and what the studies show

Basic emotions are emotions that some theories treat as innate, old in evolution and the same across cultures, each with its own signal. The clearest signal is the face. Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen studied six such emotions in a preliterate group in 1971: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.). Contempt joined the list in 1986, and the Paul Ekman Group lists seven universal emotions today (Paul Ekman Group (2026). Universal emotions.). In 2016, a survey of emotion scientists found broad agreement for only five: anger, fear, disgust, sadness and enjoyment (Ekman (2016). What scientists who study emotion agree about.).

• Six emotions were studied in the Fore in 1971, and fear was hard to tell apart from surprise.
• Contempt was added in 1986 after tests in ten cultures, which gives the seven named today.
• Ekman proposed fifteen emotion families in 1999 as an idea, not as a tested result.
• In 2016, respondents agreed most on five: anger, fear, disgust, sadness and enjoyment.
• Critics do not deny that faces carry information; they state that the signals vary and are not enough on their own.

What basic means

A basic emotion, in this research line, meets several strict tests at once. Ekman described characteristics such as a universal signal, a distinctive physiology and automatic appraisal (Ekman (1992). An argument for basic emotions.). The list also includes a quick onset, a brief duration and an unbidden occurrence (Ekman (1992). An argument for basic emotions.). Each basic emotion is also a family of related states, not one fixed state (Ekman (1999). Basic emotions.). Love, hate, grief and jealousy are then emotional plots built from more than one family (Ekman (1999). Basic emotions.). Moods last longer than the hour that bounds an emotion (Paul Ekman Group (2026). Universal emotions.).

The American Psychological Association defines emotion as a complex reaction pattern with experiential, behavioral and physiological parts. A feeling is the conscious result of such a reaction (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.). A mood is a short, weak state without a clear trigger (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.). Readers who mix up faces and judgments can use the guide to perceptual errors next to this article.

The six studied in 1971

Ekman and Friesen went to the Fore of the South East Highlands of New Guinea, a preliterate group with little contact with Western media. They read a short story, showed three photos, and asked which face fit the story. Children saw two photos. The authors wrote the fear and surprise stories themselves because pilot stories had failed (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.). The fear story told of a wild pig in the doorway (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.).

More than one team had found those six easy to tell apart within any one literate culture. Agreement there ran above 70 percent (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.). Every discrimination held except fear from surprise (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.). Once, the observers chose surprise more often than fear (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.). The fear-surprise pair was not tried with children through an oversight (Ekman and Friesen (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.).

Two points matter for exams. First, six was the studied set, not a claim that exactly six exist. Second, fear versus surprise is the recurrent weak spot. A 2014 Glasgow study found shared faces: anger with disgust, surprise with fear. That points to learned splits on top of shared biology (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.).

The seventh emotion

In 1986, Ekman and Friesen reported the first evidence for a face unique to contempt, against their own prediction. They tested observers in Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Scotland, Turkey, the United States and West Sumatra (Ekman and Friesen (1986). A new pan-cultural facial expression of emotion.).

A one-sided tighten and raise of the lip corner read as contempt in 75 percent of judgments across the ten cultures. That sits close to anger at 74 percent and disgust at 73 percent. A two-sided version reached only 36 percent, and a raised upper lip reached 19 percent. The authors named the limit themselves: all observers were college students with mass-media exposure (Ekman and Friesen (1986). A new pan-cultural facial expression of emotion.).

That result gives the seven named on the official page today: anger, contempt, disgust, enjoyment, fear, sadness and surprise (Paul Ekman Group (2026). Universal emotions.). Students of German and English names can check each term in the list of psychology terms in English and German.

Six, seven, fifteen, five: how the number changed

Ekman wrote in 1992 that the exact number is not the point:

The 1999 proposal named amusement, anger, contempt, contentment, disgust, embarrassment, excitement, fear, guilt, pride in achievement, relief, sadness or distress, satisfaction, sensory pleasure and shame (Ekman (1999). Basic emotions.). Ekman wrote that the evidence was certainly not available then (Ekman (1999). Basic emotions.). Note two traps. The list has no surprise. It has no single happiness either: happiness splits into amusement, contentment, relief, satisfaction, sensory pleasure, pride in achievement and excitement. His own view had moved far from his 1957 start. Then, scales of pleasant versus unpleasant and active versus passive had seemed enough, and face-meaning links had seemed learned. Darwin and Tomkins moved him most (Ekman (1999). Basic emotions.).

The five that won agreement

In mid-June 2014, Ekman mailed 248 scientists who study emotion; 60 percent replied. James Russell, a known critic, checked the selection and the questions. Agreement ran at 88 percent for universals in any aspect, 80 percent for universal signals in face or voice, 66 percent for triggers, 51 percent for physiology and 44 percent for appraisal (Ekman (2016). What scientists who study emotion agree about.).

Among the 74 percent with a discrete orientation, anger drew 91 percent, fear 90 percent, disgust 86 percent, sadness 80 percent and happiness 76 percent. Shame, surprise and embarrassment stood at 40 to 50 percent. Guilt drew 37 percent, contempt 34, love 32, awe 31, pain 28, envy 28, compassion 20, pride 9 and gratitude 6 percent. Ekman asked whether evidence for more than just five would come (Ekman (2016). What scientists who study emotion agree about.).

The Atlas of Emotions, funded by the Dalai Lama Trust and built with Eve Ekman, maps five continents: enjoyment, anger, fear, sadness and disgust. Its release states that more than 70 percent of surveyed scientists found the evidence convincing for those five (Paul Ekman Group (2016). Atlas of Emotions press release.).

Other lists in one glance

Plutchik arranged eight emotions as opposites and mixed them into dyads (Emotion classification (2026). Wikipedia.). Berkeley researchers showed 2185 short videos and mapped 27 categories (Emotion classification (2026). Wikipedia.). Dimensional models plot any state on valence and arousal, and low-arousal states sit near neutral (Emotion classification (2026). Wikipedia.).

Basic versus complex

Basic emotions are unmixed and innate in this account; complex emotions mix two or more. The APA example is hate as a fusion of fear, anger and disgust (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.). Grief, jealousy, love, guilt, pride, envy, gratitude and worry vary widely across people and cultures and show no single face (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.). The boundary with biased thinking matters too: a bias is a pattern of judgment, while an emotion is a reaction pattern, as the guide to cognitive biases sets out.

What critics actually state

The critique is narrower than memes suggest. Constructionist accounts state that no emotion owns a fixed brain spot or body signature and that context decides which concept fits the core affect of valence plus arousal (Emotion classification (2026). Wikipedia.). Reviews conclude that expected face configurations occur above chance but vary and are not specific enough to diagnose alone (Mason and Capitanio (2012). Basic emotions: a reconstruction.).

Cross-cultural work adds caveats. Sorting tasks across cultures do not always yield the same piles (Mason and Capitanio (2012). Basic emotions: a reconstruction.). Language taxonomies differ: German schadenfreude and Portuguese saudade lack one-word English peers, and some languages use one word where English uses anger and sadness (Emotion classification (2026). Wikipedia.). The 2014 Glasgow result above fits the same pattern (University of West Alabama (2019). Science of emotion.).

What this means for studying

Use the timeline as the memory hook: year first, then number, then names. That order blocks the classic exam error of mixing 1971 with 1999.

1. 1.If the question asks for the studied six, name happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise, and add that fear versus surprise was the weak pair.
2. 2.If the question asks for the seven today, add contempt with its one-sided lip-corner sign.
3. 3.If the question asks how many scientists agree on, answer five with the 2016 percentages, and quote the Atlas five.

Save the emotion terms into one list per family and drill that list with Flashcard, Question and Typing games in short sessions. The Question mode needs at least four words in the list. Look up each term first in the Psychology World dictionary, then test with the guide on how to memorise psychology terminology. Download Psychology World from the App Store