re general muscular excitement produced by an intenser
gratification. Rubbing together of the hands, and that other motion
which Dickens somewhere describes as "washing with impalpable soap in
invisible water," have like implications. Children may often be seen to
"jump for joy." Even in adults of excitable temperament, an action
approaching to it is sometimes witnessed. And dancing has all the world
through been regarded as natural to an elevated state of mind. Many of
the special emotions show themselves in special muscular actions. The
gratification resulting from success, raises the head and gives firmness
to the gait. A hearty grasp of the hand is currently taken as indicative
of friendship. Under a gush of affection the mother clasps her child to
her breast, feeling as though she could squeeze it to death. And so in
sundry other cases. Even in that brightening of the eye with which good
news is received we may trace the same truth; for this appearance of
greater brilliancy is due to an extra contraction of the muscle which
raises the eyelid, and so allows more light to fall upon, and be
reflected from, the wet surface of the eyeball.

The bodily indications of painful emotions are equally numerous, and
still more vehement. Discontent is shown by raised eyebrows and wrinkled
forehead; disgust by a curl of the lip; offence by a pout. The impatient
man beats a tattoo with his fingers on the table, swings his pendent leg
with increasing rapidity, gives needless pokings to the fire, and
presently paces with hasty strides about the room. In great grief there
is wringing of the hands, and even tearing of the hair. An angry child
stamps, or rolls on its back and kicks its heels in the air; and in
manhood, anger, first showing itself in frowns, in distended nostrils,
in compressed lips, goes on to produce grinding of the teeth, clenching
of the fingers, blows of the fist on the table, and perhaps ends in a
violent attack on the offending person, or in throwing about and
breaking the furniture. From that pursing of the mouth indicative of
slight displeasure, up to the frantic struggles of the maniac, we shall
find that mental irritation tends to vent itself in bodily activity.

All feelings, then--sensations or emotions, pleasurable or painful--have
this common characteristic, that they are muscular stimuli. Not
forgetting the few apparently exceptional cases in which emotions
exceeding a certain intensity produce prostrati