Surprise (emotion)

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Surprise (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a rapid, fleeting, mental and physiological state. It is related to the startle response experienced by animals and humans as the result of an unexpected event.

Surprise can have any valence. That is, it can be pleasant/positive, unpleasant/negative, or neutral/moderate. Surprise can occur in varying levels of intensity ranging from very surprised, which may induce the fight-or-flight response, or slightly surprised, which elicits a less intense response to the stimulus.

Surprise is included as a primary or basic emotion in the taxonomies of Carroll Izard and Paul Ekman. According to these perspectives, surprise is evolutionarily adaptive, and also innate and universal across human cultures.