How a Duchenne Smile Signals Genuine Positivity

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is a Duchenne Smile?Duchenne Smile vs. Other Smile TypesMental Health Benefits of The Duchenne SmileHow To Produce More Duchenne Smiles

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is a Duchenne Smile?

Duchenne Smile vs. Other Smile Types

Mental Health Benefits of The Duchenne Smile

How To Produce More Duchenne Smiles

None of us like to be told to smile more, but there is little denying that smilingdoeshave benefits, both for the smiler and whoever is being smiled at. Smiling can convey that we like someone, or that we’re happy or friendly, and is generally correlated with positive emotion.

Research shows that smiling can even strengthen social and emotional well-being and benefit your health.It is also known to be infectious. Smiling can cause others to smile because of the positive feeling it projects.

10 Big Benefits of Smiling

Duchenne smiles are named after 19th century anatomist Guillaume Duchenne, who studiedfacial expressions. Duchenne smiles are a particular type of smile involving specifically coded facial muscle expressions and is hypothesized to represent authentic positive displays of emotion. This is the kind of smile that reaches your eyes and lights up your whole face.

Typically, this kind of smile may be difficult to display if you don’t mean it. When participants of one study were asked to force the display of a Duchenne smile, most could not.

In another study, participants were asked to watch cartoons while monitored. When participants displayed what is classified as a Duchenne smile, they “reported more positive experience when pleasant scenes and humorous cartoons were presented.”

There are different types of smiles. Smiles can be “felt” or “unfelt":

Although ambiguous smiles can result from a happy experience, they often derive from other emotions or a lack of emotion.

According to researchers, Duchenne smiles contribute to “happy eyes.” Happy eyes usually correlate with the raising of the cheeks. According to experts, only Duchenne smiles “include activation of the cheek riser muscle that creates crow’s feet around the eyes”.

Non-Duchenne smiles are not associated with “happy eyes” or the raising of the cheeks. Ambiguous smiles might consist of a neutral expression or eyes that express emotions such asfear,anger, nervousness, or confusion.

Fake smilesare often forced, usually during situations in which an individual is attempting to be polite, courteous, or cordial, and possibly during awkward interactions or to project sarcasm.

Participants in a research study were shown different faces, in which smiles and other types of expressions (neutral, angry, fearful facial expressions) were matched withhappyor ambiguous eyes (neutral, angry, and fearful eyes).They were then asked to determine if each face looked genuinely happy.

Participants were easily able to judge that anyfacial expressionother than a smile was not happy. However, when different eye types were matched with smiles, it wasn’t as easy for participants to identify genuinely happy faces. Although most people could determine that a smile with angry eyes was not happy, many believed smiles with neutral and fearful eyes were.

The difference between Duchenne and ambiguous smiles is not always apparent to others, but Duchenne smiles are usually a reflection of a more positive experience for the smiler.

Duchenne smiles have a significant impact onmoodand social interactions, including in some of the following ways:

Increases Feelings of Happiness

Duchenne smiles correspond with feelings ofhappiness.There is some research to suggest that smiling increases the feel good chemical dopamine in the brain. Sharing that smile can literally spread the chemical reactions of happiness.

Duchenne smiles evoke positivity from others.When you give Duchenne smiles, others are more likely to associate you with positive traits, such as trustworthiness,authenticity, and attractiveness etc, These positive traits can help others feel more comfortable engaging in social interaction with you.

Increases Empathy

Genuinely smiling during social interactions initiates an authentic connection with the other person.This connection can allow you to experience moreempathytoward the them and their emotions.

Increases Relaxation

You feel less tense and more relaxed when genuinely smiling, producing a calming effect.Others may sense your calmness and feel less stressed as well.

It may seem odd, but there are a number of strategies you can take to put yourself in better position to smile in a more genuine way:

Finally, it may seem counterintuitive—but there is some research to support that even forced smiling may actually help produce positive emotions.

Smiling, even if forced, correlates with reducedstress. Attempting to be kind or happy, even when we don’t feel that way in the moment, may help produce genuine emotion and lead to a Duchenne smile.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Marmolejo-Ramos F, Murata A, Sasaki K, et al.Your face and moves seem happier when I smile: Facial action influences the perception of emotional faces and biological motion stimuli.Exp Psychol. 2020;67(1):14-22. doi:10.1027/1618-3169/a000470Gunnery S, Hall JA, Ruben MA.The deliberate Duchenne smile: Individual differences in expressive control.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.2012;37(1). doi:10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4Soussignan R.Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: a test of the facial feedback hypothesis.Emotion. 2002;2(1):52-74. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.2.1.52Calvo MG, Marrero H, Beltrán D.When does the brain distinguish between genuine and ambiguous smiles?An ERP study.Brain Cogn. 2013;81(2):237-246. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2012.10.009Kraft TL, Pressman SD.Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1372-1378. doi:10.1177/0956797612445312Surakka V, Hietanen JK.Facial and emotional reactions to Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles.Int J Psychophysiol. 1998;29(1):23-33. doi:10.1016/s0167-8760(97)00088-3

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Marmolejo-Ramos F, Murata A, Sasaki K, et al.Your face and moves seem happier when I smile: Facial action influences the perception of emotional faces and biological motion stimuli.Exp Psychol. 2020;67(1):14-22. doi:10.1027/1618-3169/a000470Gunnery S, Hall JA, Ruben MA.The deliberate Duchenne smile: Individual differences in expressive control.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.2012;37(1). doi:10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4Soussignan R.Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: a test of the facial feedback hypothesis.Emotion. 2002;2(1):52-74. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.2.1.52Calvo MG, Marrero H, Beltrán D.When does the brain distinguish between genuine and ambiguous smiles?An ERP study.Brain Cogn. 2013;81(2):237-246. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2012.10.009Kraft TL, Pressman SD.Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1372-1378. doi:10.1177/0956797612445312Surakka V, Hietanen JK.Facial and emotional reactions to Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles.Int J Psychophysiol. 1998;29(1):23-33. doi:10.1016/s0167-8760(97)00088-3

Marmolejo-Ramos F, Murata A, Sasaki K, et al.Your face and moves seem happier when I smile: Facial action influences the perception of emotional faces and biological motion stimuli.Exp Psychol. 2020;67(1):14-22. doi:10.1027/1618-3169/a000470Gunnery S, Hall JA, Ruben MA.The deliberate Duchenne smile: Individual differences in expressive control.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.2012;37(1). doi:10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4Soussignan R.Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: a test of the facial feedback hypothesis.Emotion. 2002;2(1):52-74. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.2.1.52Calvo MG, Marrero H, Beltrán D.When does the brain distinguish between genuine and ambiguous smiles?An ERP study.Brain Cogn. 2013;81(2):237-246. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2012.10.009Kraft TL, Pressman SD.Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1372-1378. doi:10.1177/0956797612445312Surakka V, Hietanen JK.Facial and emotional reactions to Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles.Int J Psychophysiol. 1998;29(1):23-33. doi:10.1016/s0167-8760(97)00088-3

Gunnery S, Hall JA, Ruben MA.The deliberate Duchenne smile: Individual differences in expressive control.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.2012;37(1). doi:10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4

Soussignan R.Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: a test of the facial feedback hypothesis.Emotion. 2002;2(1):52-74. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.2.1.52

Calvo MG, Marrero H, Beltrán D.When does the brain distinguish between genuine and ambiguous smiles?An ERP study.Brain Cogn. 2013;81(2):237-246. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2012.10.009

Kraft TL, Pressman SD.Grin and bear it: The influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1372-1378. doi:10.1177/0956797612445312

Surakka V, Hietanen JK.Facial and emotional reactions to Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles.Int J Psychophysiol. 1998;29(1):23-33. doi:10.1016/s0167-8760(97)00088-3

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Increases Feelings of Happiness#

Increases Genuine Social Interaction#

Increases Empathy#

Increases Relaxation#

Increases Feelings of Happiness

Increases Genuine Social Interaction

Increases Empathy

Increases Relaxation