2.2: Smiles
- Page ID
- 204977
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Duchenne Smiles
Duchenne smiles are smiles that involve the whole face – including the upper cheek (zygomaticus major) and eye muscles (orbicularis oculi), not just the mouth muscles. In comparison to “polite” smiles, Duchenne smiles seem to glow, showing observers that the smiler is experiencing genuine positive emotion. Thus, people who often display Duchenne smiles are likely to be happier people, in general. Furthermore, given what we know about what causes happiness, they may even be more moral, virtuous, and eudaimonically motivated people.
The Duchenne smile is named after the French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne, who pointed out in the mid-1800s that there are two very different kinds of smiles. Non-Duchenne smiles can mean a lot of things: polite smiles used to be friendly, communicate how you are feeling, or even be "put on" for a photo. Generally, human smiles express joy or acceptance, but some cultures use smiles to show embarrassment or confusion. There are also flirtatious smiles, fear smiles, pain smiles and more.
A summary of all the types of smiles and the meanings behind them can be found in this news article⁹ describing the types of smiles by science journalist, Zaria Gorvett.
We can measure lots of emotions with facial expression– it’s much easier now thanks to digital technology that can use long established coding systems rapidly. Studies use Yearbook photos, baseball cards etc. to tie smiling to interesting things like survival, divorce etc with smilers generally doing better. Researcher Ken Sheldon points out that Duchenne Smiles are honest signals that contain evolutionary value that alerts perceivers to the virtuous behaviors and motivations of the smiler, to create a sense of connection between smilers and perceivers, and to elicit more cooperation from perceivers.
Interestingly, there are major cultural differences in smiling with a possible impact on country happiness. Americans smile the most of any country with Russians smiling the least. More than 50% of people will return a smile due to powerful mimicry instincts. As a result, this can spread happiness thanks to “The Facial Feedback Hypothesis” which is the idea that faking an emotion can stimulate it. Although there has been some controversy and debate on The Facial Feedback Hypothesis, there still seems to be at least a small effect. Another interesting fact research has shown is that countries with higher immigrant populations smile more.
The Facial Feedback hypothesis is the theory that facial movement can influence emotional experience. For example, an individual who is forced to smile during a social event will actually come to find the event more of an enjoyable experience.
Havas and friends explore the evidence of facial movement affecting cognition and emotional reactivity, specifically in botox patients in their paper titled, Cosmetic Use of Botulinum Toxin-A Affects Processing of Emotional Language¹⁰.
In conclusion, facial expressions can be utilized to influence and assess emotions effectively.
Smiling, as we have discussed, is an interesting and useful way to measure well-being. It has also become an interesting area of study in positive psychology as a way to trigger emotions, understand relationships, predict the future, and more.
If you enjoyed learning about Duchenne Smiles, Sheldon and colleagues discuss Duchenne Smiles as Honest Signals of Chronic Positive Mood¹¹ (2021).
theory that facial movement can influence emotional experience
Attribution
⁹Gorvett, Z. (2022, February 28). There are 19 types of smile but only six are for happiness. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same
¹⁰Havas, D. A., Glenberg, A. M., Gutowski, K. A., Lucarelli, M. J., & Davidson, R. J. (2010). Cosmetic Use of Botulinum Toxin-A Affects Processing of Emotional Language. Psychological Science, 21(7), 895-900. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610374742
¹¹Sheldon, K. M., Corcoran, M., & Sheldon, M. (2021). Duchenne Smiles as Honest Signals of Chronic Positive Mood. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 16(3), 654–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620959831