open. There is no drooping of the features, and no contraction of the
eyebrows. On the contrary, the frontal muscle, as Moreau observes,[817]
tends to contract slightly; and this smooths the brow, removes every
trace of a frown, arches the eyebrows a little, and raises the eyelids.
Hence the Latin phrase, _exporrigere frontem_ to unwrinkle the
brow means, to be cheerful or merry. The whole expression of a man in
good spirits is exactly the opposite of that of one suffering from
sorrow. According to Sir C. Bell, In all the exhilarating emotions the
eyebrows, eyelids, the nostrils, and the angles of the mouth are
raised. In the depressing passions it is the reverse. Under the
influence of the latter the brow is heavy, the eyelids, cheeks, mouth,
and whole head droop; the eyes are dull; the countenance pallid, and
the respiration slow. In joy the face expands, in grief it lengthens.
Whether the principle of antithesis has here come into play in
producing these opposite expressions, in aid of the direct causes which
have been specified and which are sufficiently plain, I will not
pretend to say.
With all the races of man the expression of good spirit appears to be
the same, and is easily recognized. My informants, from various parts
of the Old and New Worlds, answer in the affirmative to my queries on
this head, and they give some particulars with respect to Hindoos,
Malays, and New Zealanders. The brightness of the eyes of the
Australians has struck four observers, and the same fact has been
noticed with Hindoos, New Zealanders, and the Dyaks of Borneo.
Savages sometimes express their satisfaction not only by smiling, but
by gestures derived from the pleasure of eating. Thus Mr. Wedgwood[818]
quotes Petherick that the negroes on the Upper Nile began a general
rubbing of their bellies when he displayed his beads; and Leichhardt
says that the Australians smacked and clacked their mouths at the sight
of his horses and bullocks, and more especially of his kangaroo dogs.
The Greenlanders, when they affirm anything with pleasure, suck down
air with a certain sound; [819] and this may be an imitation of the act
of swallowing savoury food.
Laughter is suppressed by the firm contraction of the orbicular muscles
of the mouth, which prevents the great zygomatic and other muscles from
drawing the lips backwards and upwards. The lower lip is also sometimes
held by the teeth, and this gives a roguish expression to the face, as
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