Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2002 - Volume 25, Issue 04  


Short Communication

Pain facial expression: Individual variability undermines the specific adaptationist account

Christine R. Harris a1 and Nancy Alvarado a1
a1 Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109 charris@psy.ucsd.edu alvarado@psy.ucsd.edu http://psy.ucsd.edu/%7Echarris/ http://www.csupomona.edu/~nalvarado/

Abstract

The proposal that there are specific adaptations for the expression and detection of pain appears premature on both conceptual and empirical grounds. We discuss criteria for the validation of a pain facial expression. We also describe recent findings from our lab on coping styles and pain expression, which illustrate the importance of considering individual differences when proposing evolutionary explanations.