The Definitive Book of Body Language

The Definitive Book of Body Language

Which smile is fake?

False smiles pull back only the mouth, real smiles pull

back both the mouth and eyes

Scientists can distinguish between genuine and fake smiles by

using a coding system called the Facial Action Coding System

(FACS), which was devised by Professor Paul Ekman of the

University of California and Dr Wallace V Friesen of the Uni-

versity of Kentucky. Genuine smiles are generated by the

unconscious brain, which means they are automatic. When

you feel pleasure, signals pass through the part of your brain

that processes emotion, making your mouth muscles move,

your cheeks raise, your eyes crease up and your eyebrows dip

slightly.

Photographers ask you to say 'Cheese' because this word

putts back the zygomatic major muscles. But the result is

a false smile and an insincere looking photograph.

Lines around the eyes can also appear in intense fake smiles
and the cheeks may bunch up, making it look as if the eyes are
contracting and that the smile is genuine. But there are signs