Beauty Treatment: The Genuine Smile

A genuine smile, stated neuroanatomist Duchenne de Boulogne, is put into play by sweet emotions of the soul. But can you really identify a genuine smile?

The Duchenne smile—the lifting of the cheeks and narrowing of the eyes (orbicularis oculi, pars lateralis) and the pulling at the corners of the lips (zygomaticus muscles)—is said to be an involuntary reaction showing true enjoyment.

Researchers Eva Krumhuber of the University of Geneva and Antony Manstead of Cardiff University sought to uncover whether the Duchenne muscle groups were purely automatic or could be willed into action. Some subjects watched funny videos, while others smiled voluntarily. Krumhuber and Manstead found a similar proportion of Duchenne activity in both real and forced smiles, proving that the sweet emotions of the soul can be faked.

Beam Bling

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