As languages developed and became more advanced, the subsequent birth of linguistic humor and its appropriate facial responses soon followed. Fast-forward to the modern day and we are still trying to figure out this simple tool of communication. How many of you have been told “you don’t smile enough” or to “get that smile off your face”? There’s also the genuine smile that is difficult to hold back the forced smile, and the obviously fake smile intended to tell someone to go “off” themselves.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
One area where smiling is rather complicated is in our first impressions with the opposite sex. We all have our own ridiculous ideas about what the other half thinks is sexy. New Research from the University of British Columbia has reaffirmed the age old saying that nice guys finish last. The research asked over a thousand men and women to rate the attractiveness of several facial expressions including priced, shame, smiling and a neutral face as the control variable. Surprisingly, the great majority of the women in the sample rated smiling men as the least attractive and instead preferred men who exhibited a sense of shame or pride. From an anthropological standpoint, a proud-looking man probably has achieved significant status within his gang of man-ages. Meanwhile, a shameful-looking man suggests that he is capable of remorse and is aware of societal normal, especially the ones he has recently breached. The researchers suggest that historically, smiling is associated with a lack of dominance, which is a big turn off for many women. This further adds to the idea that women are drawn to the strong silent type rather than a man-puppy who isn’t fully potty trained yet. When the tables were turned men overwhelmingly preferred a smiling woman rather than women who showed shame or pride. Men are typically intimidated by women with a higher social status which is why a prideful expression is not desired. Men are probably going to be turned off by the shame expression because it may suggest infidelity and a lack of submission. One of the main reasons why men prefer a smile over pride or shame is because a smile is the most sexually receptive of the facial expressions. Women don’t need any cues or hints to find out if a guy will “put out” because we’re about as sexually receptive as caged rabbits.
THE NEXT DAY
All those theories that were previously applied to first impressions may be counter-productive once the initial honeymoon is over. If you start dating a girl and never smile at her, only giving her your shame-face and your proud-face, she’s probably going to think you’re joyless, prideful and depressed. The same goes for men, where eventually he will have to accept the fact that his new girlfriend is capable of more than just the submissive housewife mode.
FOLLOW-UP RESEARCH
It would be interesting to do a follow-up study to this in a country like Cambodia, where smiles, pride and shame are all very different from the traditional western perspectives. Out here, smiles flow as freely as the Mekong, pride is a family legacy and shame is enough to commit hari kari. In addition, little research has been done in the area of platonic friendships and smiling. It is likely that the aforementioned study would not apply to first impressions in making friends, especially when selecting friends of the same gender. Regardless of your intentions, next time you smile at somebody, have some peace of mind in how much they’re secretly judging you.
HEALTH MATTERS
BY BOYD BERGESON
Really extracted from Phnom Penh Daily News, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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