Humans smile for different reasons. Often, when we are pleased or to suit a specific purpose, smiles accompany various functions in human behaviour.
Whichever the reason is, humans are captivated and fascinated by all kinds of smiles. Smiles are one of the most powerful facial expressions we have for communication.
1. The Polite Smile
Some of us have this slight tight lip smile on auto-mode. It’s like we’ve been trained to polite smile since primary school or by our parents to show how well-mannered we are. It can also be linked to an affiliative smile to denote friendliness and communicate a general sense of good-naturedness like when the taxi uncle greets us when we get into his car. Another common polite smile is amongst strangers acknowledging each other in elevators.
2. The Compliance Smile
The compliance smile is a default smile to wear in all customer-facing job or when one is in a difficult situation. The person wearing the compliance smile is not trying to exude delight but rather, is accepting any given circumstances willingly. A compliance smile goes a long way; and though sometimes we are fuming inside, it takes much more strength to smile the unreasonable customers away than to be losing one’s cool. It just ain’t worth it.
3. The Reward Smile
The reward smile is when we’ve gotten approval or when we’re reaping in successful results of a project. It’s that “hard work paid off” smile or a smile for doing a task well. It could be a subtle or fully animated smile with teeth showing and brows lifted. A smile of reward is essentially a thank you and well done.
4. Fake Smile
A fake smile is intended to invoke a positive emotion or to mask a negative by using the smile as a mask. It is the only smile that lies. Depending on how good the actor is, some clues for spotting a fake smile are that it’s typically more asymmetrical than authentic smiles, or it may drop off the face too suddenly, or there may be an offset in which the smile decreases before disappearing.
5. The Embarrassed Smile
This is usually accompanied by blushing, a downward tilt of the head and a gaze shift to the left side. The person flashing an embarrassed smile will probably touch their face more often with an occasional facepalm.
6. The Flirtatious Smile
Linked to the above, the flirtatious smile goes in one direction with a sideways glance and a semi-embarrassed looking smile before looking away again. A flirtatious smile is intended to make the person look more attractive.
7. The Duchenne Smile
Named after 19th-century scientist, Guillaume Duchenne, this is the smile that exudes happiness and pleasure. The Duchenne smile synchronizes the mouth, cheeks and twinkling eyes; lighting up the entire face in true enjoyment. Duchenne smiles make one seem more authentic and trustworthy, linking it to healthier relationships and longer lives.
Whichever the intention is for your smile, using the Mooi Teeth Whitening Kit regularly makes it whiter and brighter. A beaming set of teeth is the secret to a beautiful smile, one of the most influential human expressions.
Sources : Healthline, Paul Ekman