SMILE – One Word Wednesday

We smile for pictures. We smile at babies.  

And puppies.

We smile politely at friends or strangers.

Which smiles are genuine and which smiles are fake?

Here’s a quick interactive quiz from BBC to test your ability to spot the difference between a real smile and a fake one.

It’ll only take a minute. I’ll wait right here.

How’d you do? I’m sure once you figured out the secret, it was easier.

Crinkly eyes = a real smile. No wrinkles around the eyes, the smile’s a fake, or the result of too much Botox.

It’s true that intense fake smiles sometimes produce lines around the eyes . The cheeks will bunch up, making it look as if the eyes are contracting and the smile is genuine.

However, according to the experts when a smile is genuine, the eye cover fold – the fleshy part of the eye between the eyebrow and the eyelid – moves downwards and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.

That’s the key to recognizing a genuine smile, check the eyes. Isn’t that a genuine smile if you ever saw one?

Fake or genuine I believe smiles are powerful. They spread optimism, happiness, and joy. Most of all smiles are contagious.

Leo F. Buscaglia says,

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

YOUR TURN:  Go spread some smiles.