Different nuances of smile

Laughing works as a band-aid in relationships, but that’s not all. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at Queen’s University in Belfast. Published in review on July 6th Wisdom and emotion, Which suggests that a certain type of smile can help restore confidence despite the loss of confidence.

Three types of smiles were studied

Researchers have studied three types of smiles to learn about social judgments and how to build trust in difficult situations where there is conflict. First, there is a smile that is deserving and deserves a gift that indicates that a person is happy. Next comes the domination smile used to reinforce the dominance or status of the smiling person. Finally, the affiliate smile forms and maintains social bonds.

To test the effects of these different smiles, the researchers conducted five studies with more than 900 people. Each time, they observed the reaction of the participants after their group was abused by a different group member during the economy game. “During the study we had two groups, one group representative did injustice to the participating group and then smiled or made a neutral or sad expression, Says Magdalena Richlovska, lead author of the study. Participants reported how they felt about the person and how to communicate with them to share their resources.. “

The subtlety of a smile

The results revealed that Affiliate Smile was seen as an attempt to select pieces that would lead to the restoration of confidence levels. The results are very different than the results obtained when using the other two types of smiles. “We found that when a person does not cooperate or laughs unbelievably, they look happy and are therefore unreliable and unwilling to change their behavior.”, And observation by Magdalena Richlovska.

This research highlights the subtlety of the smile, which translates to different emotions and leads to very different feelings in others. “Laughing at another person does not always lead to trust and cooperation, Stephanie Carpenter, study co-author. Subtle differences in smile can have a real impact on people’s mutual trust. In fact, the way you smile in a good or bad situation affects people’s confidence.. “

The importance of context

This study shows the subtle power of facial expressions. “The way someone looks at you and laughs can change the meaning of the situation for better or worse., Concluded Dr. Ryklovska. We respond differently to different types of smiles and to the situations in which those smiles are displayed. Think of movie villains, for example in James Bond films. They often give happy smiles when something bad happens or is about to happen. This background makes those smiles happy and normal, threatening and disgusting. It also emphasizes the importance of the social context – a happy smile that can be read as a symbol of fidelity in one setting can be seen as evidence of evil intentions in another context.. “