Abstract: Facial expressions are a very effective and efficient way of communicating in human social interactions, since they can convey a person’s emotional state and signals of potential danger. Since the 1970s, and especially in the past 10 years, the number of psychological studies on emotional facial expressions has been increasing quickly. The present paper reviews the development of main opinions and arguments in the field. There are ongoing debates, e.g. on theories, cultural differences, development of recognition abilities, sexual differences and reasons for confusing expressions in recognition. It is concluded, that future research should explore and discuss specific expression in order to be more persuasive and valuable.

Key words: facial expression, theoretical basis, cultural differences, recognition abilities, confusion reasons