One of the most commonly discussed areas of body language smiles are man’s universal sign of friendliness and happiness, but there’s a lot about the body language smiles you may not have known. Did you know, for instance, that in body language smiles are a sign of submission? How about that in body language smiles are often considered to be detrimental to a person’s perceived status? Read on to discover all you ever wanted to know about body language smiles.
Utilising the power of the Body Language Smiles will take you Far
Of all the gestures in body language smiles are the most recognisable. The difference between smiling and not smiling can be the difference between a healthy, positive and active social and dating life and a life of loneliness. Your mum was right when she told you to smile, but there’s a lot about smiling she might have missed out.
Did your mother tell you, for instance, that there are two main muscle groups controlling smiles: the zygomatic major muscles, which run down the side of the face and connect to the corners of the mouth, and the orbicularis oculi, which pull the eyes back? No. Okay, well the zygomatic major muscles pull the mouth back to expose the teeth and enlarge the cheeks, and the obicularis oculi make the eyes narrow and cause crows feet. Knowing the nature of these two muscles enables you to determine a genuine smile from a false one. Here’s how. . .
Body language Smiles: Telling if they’re Genuine
The muscle which moves the mouth can be consciously controlled, so people can use their mouth in a fake smile, but the muscle moving the eyes is not under conscious control and so cannot be faked. This means that you can always determine if a smile is fake or genuine from the eyes. Genuine smiles contract the muscle around the eyes, causing crows feet, make the eye cover fold move downwards (the eye cover fold is the part between eyelid and eyebrow) and cause the eyebrows to dip slightly.
A second way to tell if a smile is genuine is to check whether both sides of the face appear equal. In a fake smile, the left side of the face will appear to be smiling more.
So that’s how to tell a genuine smile from a fake one, but just exactly what is a smile anyway?
in Body Language Smiles are a Sign of Submission
It’s important to know the exact purpose of a smile—it isn’t just about looking happy. in body language smiles are regarded as a sign of submission. It tells others that you are not a threat and asks others to accept you. There is a lack of power implied by smiling, which is why notable powerful individuals, like Margaret Thatcher and Clint Eastwood, don’t smile very much.
Smile and the World Smiles with you
It’s not just a saying. Smiles truly are contagious. And what’s more, even if a smile is fake, you still cause people to smile back at you.
Even more interesting is the fact that even if that person actively tries to keep a straight face, they cannot help but mirror your expression.
Add to this the fact that smiling makes people feel and act more positively and you realise just exactly how much power a smile contains.
This article is good for:
Is smiling contagious?
Benefits of smiling
Improve communication skills
How to tell if a smile if real or fake
Body Language Smiles
Related Articles:
Body Language: Explained
How to improve Communication Skills through Reading Body Language Correctly
Important note: All body language gestures should be taken in context. Body language is not a “one size fits all” deal nor can body language be read like an A-Z. For more on this read: Body Language: Explained
It turns our that a smile is one heck of a weapon. No wonder people still sign up for smile makeovers (cost £3000 +) and cosmetic surgery for teeth while teeth whitening every day. When you smile, you make yourself feel more positive, you force other people to involuntarily mirror your smile, and because they are now smiling themselves, they will naturally act more positively towards you.
So get smiling! Even it you’re alone at home, just smile for practice so you’ll naturally smile when you go out. You’ll be amazed how happy people are to be around you.