The truth behind a smile ":)"
By dede28
@dede28 (52)
Romania
June 5, 2012 12:46pm CST
People smile a great deal, and we seem to know instincively that some smiles are more genuine than others. But is there any scientific basis for this? Recent research suggests that a mechanism in the brain can help us recgnise whether a smile is really heartfelt - or whether it is just being put on for show.
According to various long-held traditions, a genuine smile involves the eyes as well as the mouth. In the nineteenth century, a french anatomist set out to prove this. He used electrodes to stimulate the facial muscles of volunteers, thereby creating false smile. He found that real smiles were always associated with the contraction of a muslce around the eye, but that his artificially induced ones were not. :*
1 response
@syramoon (654)
• United States
5 Jun 12
I do believe that their is something, whether it be instinct or a chemical reaction in the brain (many instincts are based on such anyway) that allows us to be able to tell a real smile for a fake one. I believe it stems from the fact we are animals, even if we are very intelligent, very advanced animals, but still animals. And many animals communicate by body language as well as sounds. So instinctively most people are able to tell, even if they can't explain how they know.
I've never heard of the french anatomist, but I find that fascinating. I've always hard that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and it seems in this matter that they are the window to at least the truth. 
