Smile like you mean it
Larissa WalkiwWhen I was out shopping yesterday, I was upset by the amount of smiling I was subjected to.
Before you judge me as a nasty Scrooge-type, allow me to explain. Very few of the salespeople smiles I received yesterday were genuine. They were half-smiles (you know what I’m talking about – gloomy facial expressions, but with teeth showing). The kind of smiles that make you want to tell the cashier “Don’t even bother”. It’s unnerving.
My half-smile experience prompted me to do a little research on the world’s second-most contagious gesture (yawning takes first place).
Apparently, people have a very difficult time distinguishing real smiles from fake ones (excluding obvious half-smiles, of course). It’s easier to make the distinction when you know what to look for, however.
Smiles are controlled by two sets of muscles. The first set, the zygomatic major muscles, connect to the corners of your mouth and can be controlled consciously. The second set, the orbicularis oculi muscles, are the ones that make the eyes crease. Because this set of eye muscles acts independently, their movement cannot be faked.
Sometimes, really intense fake smiles (think game show hosts) cause the cheeks to bunch up and make it look as though the eyes are contracting and that the smile is authentic. Watch for the eyebrows – real smiles cause them to dip slightly.
Think you can tell real smiles from fake ones now? The BBC website offers an interesting online test to rate your skills. There are 20 questions that take about 10 minutes to complete. Try it out yourself – I scored 9 out of 20.
Till next time!
:D (seemed appropriate)
Larissa
