The Smile
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| The Smile | |
|---|---|
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| Name | The Smile |
| Type | Facial expression |
| Location | Human face |
| Related | Facial musculature, Emotional expression, Nonverbal communication |
The Smile is a facial expression characterized by an upward curving of the corners of the mouth, often accompanied by changes in the eyes, cheeks, and forehead. It functions across cultures as a signal in social interaction, occurring in contexts ranging from spontaneous joy to strategic politeness and complex social signaling. Researchers in Charles Darwin-era comparative anatomy, modern Paul Ekman-inspired emotion science, and cross-cultural anthropology have analyzed its forms, meanings, and physiological substrates.
Overview
The smile involves coordinated activity of facial muscles such as the Zygomaticus major, Orbicularis oculi, and Risorius, producing variations like the Duchenne smile described by Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne. Ethologists and psychologists study smiles alongside expressions like the frown and the grimace to map affective states in humans and other primates including Pan troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla. In social psychology and neuroscience, smiles are examined with tools developed at institutions such as University of California, San Francisco, Harvard University, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
History and cultural significance
Historical treatments of the smile appear in works by Charles Darwin and were later elaborated by scholars in the 20th century like Sigmund Freud and Erving Goffman. Cultural historians trace representations of smiles through artifacts from Ancient Greece, Renaissance portraiture, and Meiji period photography in Japan. Cross-cultural research by teams at Emory University and the University of California, Berkeley compares norms in societies such as United States, Japan, India, and Nigeria, revealing variation in display rules documented by anthropologists like Ray Birdwhistell and Margaret Mead. Political commentators and public relations professionals at organizations including BBC and Reuters analyze smiles in diplomatic contexts such as meetings at the United Nations and summits like the G20.
Anatomy and psychology
Anatomical studies of facial movement draw on work at medical centers like Johns Hopkins Medicine and Mayo Clinic to map muscle innervation from the facial nerve. Electromyography research in laboratories at Stanford University and Columbia University differentiates genuine (Duchenne) smiles from voluntary smiles by activity in muscles around the eyes, a finding frequently cited in affective neuroscience by scholars affiliated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University College London. Cognitive psychologists link smiling to reward circuitry involving structures such as the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala, investigated with methods from functional magnetic resonance imaging research teams at National Institutes of Health.
Social functions and communication
Smiles serve affiliative functions in interpersonal contexts studied by social psychologists at institutions like Yale University, University of Chicago, and Princeton University. Ethologists compare human smiles to bared-teeth displays in Macaca mulatta and communication signals in Canis lupus familiaris research. Sociologists analyze smile choreography in service industries studied by labor researchers at Cornell University and University of Michigan. In legal and forensic settings, experts from FBI behavioral analysis units and criminology programs at London School of Economics evaluate smiles in witness testimony and interrogation contexts. Marketing and branding teams at corporations like Coca-Cola and McDonald's employ smiles in advertising campaigns measured by consumer research from firms such as Nielsen.
Representation in art and media
Art historians and critics reference iconic depictions including paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and the enigmatic smile in Mona Lisa, theatrical portrayals in works by William Shakespeare, and cinematic uses in films by directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. Photographers from agencies like Magnum Photos capture smiles in photojournalism covering events at locations like Times Square and Trafalgar Square. In music videos and album artwork, record labels including Sony Music and Universal Music Group use smiling imagery to convey persona and branding. Literary treatments of smiles appear in novels by authors like Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoevsky as devices for irony, sincerity, or social maneuvering.
Health, development, and disorders
Developmental studies from University College London and Harvard Medical School describe the emergence of social smiling in infancy, with milestones tracked in pediatric clinics at Children's Hospital Boston and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Neurological conditions such as Bell's palsy treated at Mayo Clinic and motor disorders like Parkinson's disease affect smile production, studied in neurology centers at Cleveland Clinic and Karolinska Institutet. Psychiatric research links altered smiling patterns to mood disorders examined at McLean Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. Therapies including neuromuscular retraining and Botox interventions are practiced in clinics affiliated with American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Notable uses and idioms
Smiles appear in idioms and titles across languages and institutions: phrases like "smile through the pain" in popular press at outlets such as The New York Times and The Guardian; "say cheese" used by photographers in studios from Kodak to modern agencies; and emblematic uses in logos by brands including Walmart and Amazon (company). Political campaigns studied by strategists at Cambridge Analytica-style firms analyze candidate smiling in rallies at venues like Madison Square Garden and Wembley Stadium. Award citations at ceremonies such as the Academy Awards and Grammy Awards sometimes note memorable smiles in acceptance speeches.
Category:Facial expressions