The Genuine (Duchenne) Smile vs. False Smiles

The innate origin of the smile

The act of smiling is an innate element in human beings. It is not something we learn by imitation.

Scientists have shown that children who are born blind and deaf smile equally when they experience happiness or pleasure.

This proves that smiling is a biological reflex controlled by the brain, a universal response to positive emotions.

The Genuine Smile (Eye muscles, crow's feet)

A genuine smile, sometimes called a "Duchenne smile," is an involuntary expression of true happiness or amusement. It involves the whole face.

Its main feature is not only in the mouth, but also in the eyes.

A genuine smile causes contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle, the muscle that surrounds the eye, creating small wrinkles at the outer corners known as "crow's feet".

With a genuine smile, the teeth are often also shown, a sign of openness and confidence.

The fake smile (Mouth only, no eyes)

The fake or forced smile is one that we consciously produce out of politeness or to mask another emotion.

It is used to be polite, as when someone tells us something we don't find funny but we pretend we do.

The easiest way to detect it is by looking at the eyes: there are no "crow's feet".

Only the muscles of the mouth move, stretching to show the teeth (often only the upper ones), but the gaze remains cold, placid or emotionless.

If there is no contraction around the eyes, the smile is not genuine.

The tight-lipped smile (Hide Information)

There is another variation of the forced smile: the tight-lipped smile.

In this case, the lips remain together and are stretched horizontally, and the cheeks are slightly raised, but the teeth are not shown.

This is a false smile, often used as a simple polite greeting when crossing paths with a colleague.

However, it can also have a more negative meaning.

Since showing teeth is a sign of openness, people who smile without showing them (and not for aesthetic reasons) may be trying to hide something.

It may be a sign that they are hiding their true thoughts, emotions, or even anger or frustration.

The contemptuous smile (Asymmetry)

Finally, there is the sneer, which is the facial expression of contempt, one of the seven universal emotions. It is the only expression that is inherently asymmetrical.

It occurs when the lips remain together or slightly open, but only one side of the mouth is raised in a half-smile.

This expression communicates a clear message of dominance, arrogance or superiority.

The person displaying it feels, literally or figuratively, "above" the other person or the idea being discussed.

Summary

The act of smiling is an innate element in human beings. It is a biological reflex, a universal response to positive emotions. Children born blind also smile.

A genuine, or "Duchenne" smile is involuntary and involves the whole face. Its main feature is in the eyes, creating small wrinkles known as "crow's feet".

The false smile is conscious and only moves the muscles of the mouth, but not the eyes. The contemptuous smile is asymmetrical: only one side of the mouth is raised.