Genuine smiles versus false smiles

[Mia]

I don't look at people's faces for very long, only enough to gauge their 'on the surface' moods. So, often I miss the difference between a genuine smile and a fake one. If I really want to know, I will look intently for a real smile. The sort that a child has, before society enacts it's toll on the individual.
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Ever noticed how there are basically two types of smiles: a genuine smile and a fake one?
This distinction has been of interest to researchers for quite sometime now. In fact, the genuine smile has a name. It's called the "Duchenne smile," named after the French physician Guillaume Duchenne, who studied the physiology of facial expressions in the nineteenth century.

The Duchenne smile involves both voluntary and involuntary contraction from two muscles: the zygomatic major (raising the corners of the mouth) and the orbicularis oculi (raising the cheeks and producing crow's feet around the eyes).

A fake smile or, as I like to call it, a "Say Cheese" smile involves the contraction of just the zygomatic major since we cannot voluntarily contract the orbicularis oculi muscle.

Scientists have discovered that these two types of smiles are actually controlled by two completely different parts of our brain.

When a patient with damage to the motor cortex on the brain's left hemisphere attempts to smile, the smile is asymmetrical, with the right side of the smile not moving as it should. However, when that same patient spontaneously laughs, the smile is normal with no asymmetry. This means that the genuine smile is controlled by some other part of the brain.

Now, when a patient with damage to the anterior cingulate (part of the limbic system) in the left hemisphere attempts to smile, there is no asymmetry. The smile is normal. However, when that same patient tries to smile spontaneously, the asymmetry appears.

Thus, the Say Cheese smile is controlled by the motor cortex while emotion-related movements, like the Duchenne smile, is controlled by the limbic system (the emotional center of the brain).
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/...-science-has-say-about-genuine-vs-fake-smiles

Video vaguely related to the article:

https://petapixel.com/2014/09/14/can-spot-fake-smile-photograph/

How are you personally at deciding whether a smile is genuine or false?

 

[Fino]

My fake smile is terrifying.

 

[Nauti]

It's all about the eyes. In a fake smile, the eyes don't smile. Having said that, I only know that because people have told me, not because I'm good at observing.

If I have to fake smile, I don't try to fake, I just do monkey see monkey do imitation. I really dislike being put in situations that require fake smiles.

 

[Shamar]

I don't look at people's faces for very long, only enough to gauge their 'on the surface' moods. So, often I miss the difference between a genuine smile and a fake one. If I really want to know, I will look intently for a real smile. The sort that a child has, before society enacts it's toll on the individual.
=================================================
Ever noticed how there are basically two types of smiles: a genuine smile and a fake one?
This distinction has been of interest to researchers for quite sometime now. In fact, the genuine smile has a name. It's called the "Duchenne smile," named after the French physician Guillaume Duchenne, who studied the physiology of facial expressions in the nineteenth century.
How are you personally at deciding whether a smile is genuine or false?

I can't tell a fake smile from a real smile, just like I can't tell sincerity from insincerity. That seems to be in the part of my brain that is missing (or maybe those genes were not turned on). Anyway, my inability to judge has led to no end of problems.

 

[Gracey]

My fake smile is terrifying.

I’m feeling you there

I have a jerky, eye blinking, leering grimace.

Best not to bother at all, I mostly just frighten people with it

 

[Judge]

Frankly I've never given such a thing much thought in real-time situations.

Though I suppose that I don't smile a whole lot myself, sincere or otherwise.

 

[Mia]

Which is genuine?

 

[Mia]

Which is genuine?

 

[Judge]

Which is genuine?

Learning photographic techniques I know a more relaxed face takes better portraits. That said, I would say that the image on the right has more qualities of relaxation and sincerity, and less likely to be posed.

 

[Judge]

Which is genuine?

Much more difficult. The impish look of the girl to the left looks more sincere, not to mention looking upwards to the camera which would seem somewhat less posed. Personally I'd never take a shot like that to begin with. Making me wonder if it was an impromptu moment. Who knows? I might be totally wrong about it.

The picture on the right could be either posed or sincere. I'm really not sure.

Though much like my opinion of facial recognition and mood detection, for me a static photographic print is much easier to analyze than someone standing right in front of you in real time.

 

[Gracey]

I think I’m better at judging if it matters to me.

If it’s important (to me) that a person is genuine, sincere.
If I’m going to trust them or not.


I think genuine smiles produce a bone deep mirror effect,
Some can’t help themselves and return a smile.

There’s some research to suggest that the smile signals ‘the danger has passed’

A friend and I once agreed on this using the example of almost nudging into a pedestrian with our car.

(In town, much slower speeds, not much chance of injury)
Pedestrian not paying attention at a crossing, we’re forced to stop suddenly,
Pedestrians knows they’re at fault, and smiles.
We may initially return the smile.
(The danger has passed)

 

[Gracey]

Learning photographic techniques I know a more relaxed face takes better portraits. That said, I would say that the image on the right has more qualities of relaxation and sincerity, and less likely to be posed.

The right ? (Genuine)

 

[Gracey]

Which is genuine?

Not sure about either,

 

[Adora]

I am not good at faking it so my fake smile ends up looking like I’m crazy.

 

[Judge]

I think I’m better at judging if it matters to me.

Good point. I sometimes observe complete strangers who smile at me. Yet I simply don't give it much thought in terms of returning a smile to someone I'm completely indifferent towards in passing.

Maybe I'm more like "Doc Martin" than I want to admit.

Then again, if I know them and I am actually engaging with them in some capacity, it may matter much more to me.

 

[Gracey]

Maybe I'm more like "Doc Martin" than I want to admit.

I’m a big fan of Doc Martin
If ever there was a ‘tongue in cheek’ representation of Aspergers adapted for the tele,
My guess, that would be it.
An almost admirable stereotype

 

[Judge]

I’m a big fan of Doc Martin
If ever there was a ‘tongue in cheek’ representation of Aspergers adapted for the tele,
My guess, that would be it.
An almost admirable stereotype

I love the show as well. Though it continues to frustrate me in a number of ways. Not unlike other tv shows with autistic leading characters.

What I really appreciate is to see Martin Clunes in between takes where he shows a great deal of attention and affection to the dogs that on camera he despises.

 

[Fino]

The first one, the girl on the left looks like she got in trouble and she's trying to smile to downplay what she did.

And the second...

is a trick question!

It's both!

Am I right?

Did someone say the answers already?

 

[Graphin]

Which is genuine?

I'd either go for right one or both

 

[SusanLR]

The boys are both false and the girls are both real?