Shrugging the Shoulders
Expression of the Emotions, page 271.
We may now inquire why men in all parts of the world, when they feel—whether or not they wish to show this feeling—that they cannot or will not do something, or will not resist something if done by another, shrug their shoulders, at the same time often bending in their elbows, showing the palms of their hands with extended fingers, often throwing their heads a little on one side, raising their eyebrows, and opening their mouths. These states of the mind are either simply passive, or show a determination not to act. None of the above movements are of the least service. The explanation lies, I can not doubt, in the principle of unconscious antithesis. This principle here seems to come into play as clearly as in the case of a dog, who, when feeling savage, puts himself in the proper attitude for attacking and for making himself appear terrible to his enemy; but, as soon as he feels affectionate, throws his whole body into a directly opposite attitude, though this is of no direct use to him.
Let it be observed how an indignant man who resents and will not submit to some injury holds his head erect, squares his shoulders, and expands his chest. He often clinches his fists, and puts one or both arms in the proper position for attack or defense, with the muscles of his limbs rigid. He frowns—that is, he contracts and lowers his brows—and, being determined, closes his mouth. The actions and attitude of a helpless man are, in every one of these respects, exactly the reverse.
BLUSHING.
Expression of the Emotions, page 310.
Blushing is the most peculiar and the most human of all expressions. Monkeys redden from passion, but it would require an overwhelming amount of evidence to make us believe that any animal could blush. The reddening of the face from a blush is due to the relaxation of the muscular coats of the small arteries, by which the capillaries become filled with blood; and this depends on the proper vaso-motor center being affected. No doubt, if there be at the same time much mental agitation, the general circulation will be affected; but it is not due to the action of the heart that the net-work of minute vessels covering the face becomes, under a sense of shame, gorged with blood. We can cause laughing by tickling the skin; weeping or frowning, by a blow; trembling, from a fear of pain, and so forth; but we can not cause a blush, as Dr. Burgess remarks, by any physical means—that is, by any action on the body. It is the mind which must be affected. Blushing is not only involuntary, but the wish to restrain it, by leading to self-attention, actually increases the tendency.
Page 312.
The tendency to blush is inherited. Dr. Burgess gives the case of a family, consisting of a father, mother, and ten children, all of whom, without exception, were prone to blush to a most painful degree. The children were grown up; “and some of them were sent to travel, in order to wear away this diseased sensibility, but nothing was of the slightest avail.” Even peculiarities in blushing seem to be inherited. Sir James Paget, while examining the spine of a girl, was struck at her singular manner of blushing: a big splash of red appeared first on one cheek, and then other splashes variously scattered over the face and neck. He subsequently asked the mother whether her daughter always blushed in this peculiar manner, and was answered, “Yes, she takes after me.” Sir J. Paget then perceived that, by asking this question, he had caused the mother to blush; and she exhibited the same peculiarity as her daughter.
Page 318.
Mr. Washington Matthews has often seen a blush on the faces of the young squaws belonging to various wild Indian tribes of North America. At the opposite extremity of the continent, in Tierra del Fuego, the natives, according to Mr. Bridges, “blush much, but chiefly in regard to women; but they certainly blush also at their own personal appearance.” This latter statement agrees with what I remember of the Fuegian, Jemmy Button, who blushed when he was quizzed about the care which he took in polishing his shoes, and in otherwise adorning himself.
Page 319.
Several trustworthy observers have assured me that they have seen on the faces of negroes an appearance resembling a blush, under circumstances which would have excited one in us, though their skins were of an ebony-black tint. Some describe it as blushing brown, but most say that the blackness becomes more intense.
Page 324.
I will give an instance of the extreme disturbance of mind to which some sensitive men are liable. A gentleman, on whom I can rely, assured me that he had been an eye-witness of the following scene: A small dinner-party was given in honor of an extremely shy man, who, when he rose to return thanks, rehearsed the speech, which he had evidently learned by heart, in absolute silence, and did not utter a single word; but he acted as if he were speaking with much emphasis. His friends, perceiving how the case stood, loudly applauded the imaginary bursts of eloquence, whenever his gestures indicated a pause, and the man never discovered that he had remained the whole time completely silent. On the contrary, he afterward remarked to my friend, with much satisfaction, that he thought he had succeeded uncommonly well.