Are Emotions More Innate Or Acquired?

Mainstream views

Emotions Have Strong Innate Biological Foundations

Mainstream psychological and neuroscientific research supports the view that many basic emotions have innate, biological origins. Studies have shown that infants display recognizable emotional expressions such as joy, anger, and fear, even without extensive social learning. Cross-cultural research also finds that basic emotional expressions are largely universal, suggesting a genetic and evolutionary basis for core emotions.

Social and Cultural Factors Shape Emotional Expression and Experience

While the capacity for basic emotions may be innate, the way emotions are expressed, understood, and regulated is significantly influenced by socialization and cultural context. Cultural norms dictate which emotions are appropriate to display in certain situations, and language provides frameworks for interpreting and labeling emotional experiences. This indicates a strong acquired component in the development and expression of emotions.

Integration of Innate and Acquired Aspects in Emotional Development

Current mainstream perspectives emphasize that emotions are neither entirely innate nor wholly acquired. Instead, emotional development results from the dynamic interplay between biological predispositions and environmental influences. This integrative view is supported by evidence from developmental psychology, neuroscience, and cross-cultural studies, which collectively show that while the capacity for emotion is hardwired, its manifestation is shaped by individual experiences and cultural learning ((https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_emotions_born_or_made)).

Conclusion

The mainstream scientific view holds that emotions are both innate and acquired. Core emotional responses are rooted in biology and evolution, but their expression and nuanced experience are shaped by cultural, social, and individual learning. Thus, emotions arise from a complex interaction between nature and nurture.

Alternative views

Radical Constructivism: Emotions as Purely Social Constructs

Radical constructivists argue that emotions are not innate biological states but are entirely constructed by cultural, linguistic, and social factors. According to this view, what we label as 'emotions' are learned scripts or patterns of behavior and feeling, shaped entirely by our upbringing, language, and societal expectations. There is no universal, hardwired set of emotions; instead, societies invent and teach emotional categories, which is why some emotions exist in certain cultures but not others. This perspective draws on research showing cultural variability in emotional concepts and expressions, and is championed by scholars like Lisa Feldman Barrett, who argues that emotions are 'constructed' experiences rather than natural kinds.

Attributed to: Lisa Feldman Barrett, social constructivist emotion theorists

Essentialist Nativism: Emotions as Pre-programmed Biological States

Essentialist nativists contend that core emotions are hardwired into the human brain and are universal across all cultures, arising independently of socialization or language. They point to cross-cultural studies showing similar facial expressions for emotions like fear, anger, and joy, as well as research on infants and even some non-human animals displaying basic emotional responses. This view suggests that emotional experiences are evolutionarily ancient and coded into our DNA, serving adaptive survival functions. Paul Ekman’s work on universal facial expressions is often cited as key evidence for this perspective.

Attributed to: Paul Ekman, evolutionary psychologists

Neurodiversity Perspective: Emotional Experience as Highly Individualized

Proponents of the neurodiversity movement argue that emotional responses are deeply individualized, shaped by unique neurological wiring that may not fit neatly into either 'innate' or 'acquired' categories. For example, autistic individuals or people with alexithymia may experience, process, or express emotions in ways that diverge from typical patterns, challenging the universality of any emotional experience. This view suggests that both nature and nurture interact in complex, non-linear ways, and that emotional diversity is as fundamental as cognitive diversity.

Attributed to: Neurodiversity advocates, autism researchers

Extended Mind Hypothesis: Emotions as Distributed Across Mind, Body, and Environment

This philosophical perspective proposes that emotions do not reside solely within the brain or body, but are distributed processes involving the environment, social context, and even objects or technologies. For instance, a person might only feel grief in the presence of certain mementos, or joy when engaging in communal rituals. This challenges the dichotomy of innate versus acquired by suggesting emotions are emergent phenomena arising from the interaction between organism and environment. Research in embodied cognition and distributed cognition supports this view.

Attributed to: Andy Clark, philosophers of mind

Quantum Consciousness Theory: Emotions as Quantum Phenomena

Some fringe theorists propose that emotions originate from quantum processes in the brain, making them neither strictly innate nor acquired, but rather emergent from quantum-level interactions. According to this view, emotional states could be influenced by phenomena such as quantum entanglement or superposition, leading to unpredictable and non-localized experiences. While highly speculative and lacking empirical support, this theory seeks to explain the complexity and variability of emotions in terms of quantum mechanics rather than traditional biological or social models. For a recent discussion of quantum approaches to consciousness, see (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_emotions_born_or_made).

Attributed to: Roger Penrose, quantum consciousness theorists

Common ground

What both sides accept, and the questions they actually split on.

Where they agree

  • Cross-cultural studies and research on cultural variability are relevant evidence for understanding where emotions come from.
  • Culture, language, and social context influence how emotions are experienced or expressed, at least to some degree.
  • Emotional responses involve the brain and body, and emotions can differ in how they are experienced across people.

Where they part ways

  1. Is there a universal, hardwired set of basic emotions?

    MainstreamThe capacity for core emotions such as joy, anger, and fear is innate and largely universal, with a genetic and evolutionary basis.

    AlternativeThe most common alternative answer, from radical constructivists, is that there is no universal hardwired set and emotional categories are invented and taught by societies, though essentialist nativists hold that they are fully hardwired.

  2. Is the innate versus acquired framing the right way to understand emotions?

    MainstreamEmotions are best explained as an interplay of innate biological predispositions and acquired cultural and social learning.

    AlternativeSeveral alternatives say the dichotomy itself is flawed, since emotions are individualized, non-linear products of neurology or emerge from organism-environment interaction.

  3. How much do culture and learning shape emotions?

    MainstreamCulture and learning shape the expression, regulation, and nuanced experience of emotions but sit on top of a biological core.

    AlternativeConstructivists say culture, language, and upbringing construct emotions entirely, while nativists say core emotions arise independently of socialization or language.

  4. Where do emotions reside?

    MainstreamEmotions are rooted in the biology of the individual, shaped by experience and learning.

    AlternativeExtended mind theorists say emotions are distributed across brain, body, social context, and objects, and a fringe view locates their origin in quantum processes.

Your verdict

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  • Mainstream
  • Alternative

References

  1. Ekman, P. (1992). An Argument for Basic Emotions. Cognition & Emotion, 6(3-4), 169-200.
  2. Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  3. Keltner, D., & Lerner, J. S. (2010). Emotion. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology (5th ed., pp. 317-352). Wiley.
  4. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_emotions_born_or_made
  5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7538619/
  6. Essentialist Biases in Reasoning About Emotions - PMC
  7. Are Emotions Born or Made? - Greater Good
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