Learn How to Interpret the Top Three Types of Body Language Smile

Did you know that a smile can be used to convey many and different kinds of inner feelings. From big and broad smiles to enchanting smiles, from polite courteous smiles to fake smiles, from shy smiles to lopsided uneven smiles. Many nuances of emotion can actually be displayed by this simple gesture.
A recent research has identified the three main kinds of smile, each on its own connoting a different type of emotion. With a little practice, it is possible to distinguish between the Heartfelt Smile, the Gloomy Smile and the Counterfeit Smile as they all need different use of facial muscles to be performed.
1 The Heartfelt Smile
This is known as the straight from the heart, genuine and sincere smile. The true and impulsive feelings of pure joy, gladness, happiness, amusement and pleasure are spontaneously expressed through this smile.
The facial muscles will raise the corners of the mouth, while both the cheeks will be lifted up and at the same time retracting the skin around the eye socket inwards. The stronger the emotion gets, the more distinct this muscle action will become. This heartfelt smile normally only last between two-thirds of a second to four seconds and it is very seldom held longer than that.
Basically this kind of smile is divided into three categories that consist of the simple smile, the upper smile and the broad smile. The simple smile will appear when the mouth turns up while the lips remained closed. It denotes a personal private pleasure and it is most often seen when people are smiling to themselves.
The upper teeth are usually exposed during the upper smile. Combined with a simultaneous eye contact, this is the most common smile used by people when greeting one another. As for the broad smile, both the upper and lower sets of teeth will be exposed, this smile will normally grow broader and broader until it becomes a laugh. Eye contact is very minimal during this type of smile.
2 The Gloomy Smile
This type of smile can be easily defined by its asymmetrical, lopsided and wry shape. Half the mouth will look like smiling while the other half frowning at the same time. This smile is usually displayed in front of others by someone who is conceding failure, defeat or unhappiness.
3 The Counterfeit Smile
A counterfeit smile is also more asymmetrical compared to a sincere and genuine smile, and it is an intentional gesture performed to mislead and deceive others. This kind of fake smile usually last longer than a heartfelt smile, and more time is needed for it to spread across the face.
Many examples of the counterfeit smile can be seen from the faces of inexperienced actors, shady politicians, dishonest salesmen and all those other people whose job requires smiling all the time.
So how do you actually distinguish and differentiate a counterfeit smile from a genuine straight from the heart smile? The most noticeable giveaway is from the eyes, which will squint, crinkle up and becomes narrower when the smile actually comes from the heart genuinely. On the contrary, the eyes will remain the same and unaffected when someone is smiling falsely to hide away negative emotions. Always start by observing the corner of the eyes for smile lines, and then check closely at the mouth area for a raised upper lip and a flat square lower lip.
Most people will be able to notice and sense the discordant expressions between a real heartfelt smile and a fake counterfeit smile. A fake smile will only be able to cover up the negative emotions for a short period of time, for it creates an uneasy and constrained feeling within the observer who may instinctively know that something is wrong and amiss. The fact is when someone is truly smiling from the heart, the facial muscles around the eyes cannot be brought under conscious control by the mind, thus making the mouth the only part which can lie.

The Smile Myth

A great smile is important to your success in life. You can't argue with that. And if you want to improve your customer service in business, a great strategy is to tell all your front line people to smile! Well, maybe not.

Here's the catch. Not all smiles are created equal. Genuine smiles and fake smiles don't have the same power and impact. And secondly, genuine smiles are not produced by executive decree. To believe otherwise is to believe a myth. Unless you hired Mona Lisa, the road to getting magical smiles is not easy or automatic.

Without even knowing it, our "fake" detector is always turned on. We unconsciously read body language, facial signals, giving us an impression whether a smile is genuine or plastic.

Have you ever met someone and felt that you had been thrown a fake smile? A salesman? Someone at a singles bar? Your in-laws? Actually, you could list almost any group as occasionally guilty of less-than-genuine smiles.

Journalist Chandler Phillips, in preparing for his article titled Confessions of a Car Salesman (www.Edmunds.com), went undercover by working at two new car dealerships in the Los Angeles area. He recalls greeting his first customer: "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on their faces...I saw the fear." But wait a minute. I'm sure he greeted them with a cheerful Hello. And you can be certain he sported a flashy smile. What happened?

Having a customer warm up to a sales person or front-line greeter is more complicated than a genuine or fake smile. A good, trusting relationship doesn't happen at the snap of a finger or the flash or a smile. A solid relationship is complex and it takes time. Let's examine some of the considerations and factors that help us understand promoting good customer service, good first impressions, and good relationships.

First, you can't mandate smiles for you subordinates. I love the story about teaching pigs to sing. It turns out to be an impossible task. "It frustrates the farmer and irritates the pigs." And I'll bet you that the farmer can't sing any better than the pigs in the first place.

I was scheduled for an interview with the manager of a major Las Vegas casino. I knew that one of his goals was to have a casino floor staff with a reputation for their shining smiles. Before the interview, someone took me aside: "Don't be caught off guard if he never smiles during the interview!" And you know what? Not once did he smile during the entire ten-minute interview.

Later that month I took a friend to visit the casino. We walked thru the rows of slot machines to the pit of table games (blackjack, craps, roulette). My friend looked around and said, "Geez, where's the funeral!" Nobody was smiling. I mean NOBODY. The dealers weren't smiling. The floor supervisors weren't smiling. We weren't smiling.

You can't create smiles by demanding them. If that were possible, you'd be drowning in a sea of fake smiles. If you think that ordering smiles for your subordinates is a good strategy...go buy a case of wax lips.

Other factors leading to misguided smile strategies are: Sometimes our behavior gets in our way, and sometimes our thinking trips us up.

A common fallacy of human behavior is to dislike in others what we dislike about ourselves. A sarcastic person likely has little tolerance for other sarcastic people. A pushy person probably does not like to be pushed around by others. A person who never smiles is likely to be bugged by people who don't smile! Hence we have the grim-faced casino manager who wants to be surrounded by shimmering, smiling faces. As the street-wise would say, "Ain't gonna happen!"

On the flip-side, another fallacy of human behavior is to think that everyone is just like us. Or, closer to the truth, that everyone SHOULD be like us. If we have a great natural smile we feel like others should also beam a celebrity smile. But people are NOT like us. Due to culture, family upbringing, peer groups, genetics, medications, emotional states, bad teeth, and more...people are inclined or not inclined to smile. They are who they are. It's just the way it is.

Another fallacy is "what you see is what you get!" Not necessarily so. Interpreting human nature is more complex than just observing someone's smile. Just because a person isn't smiling doesn't mean he's unhappy. It doesn't mean she hates her job. It doesn't mean he dislikes working with customers. It doesn't mean that customers don't like her. Although a smiling worker is a terrific asset, there is a good chance that the more serious-looking worker connects better with the customer than the worker with the mandatory, plastic smile. Excellence at work is more complicated than the issue of To-Smile-or-Not-To-Smile.

Add Smile Power to Your Life to Empower Your Relationships

Several years ago I was in a San Diego restaurant with my mother. While I paid the check, we both noticed an elderly woman waiting to be seated. As we left the restaurant, Mom asked, "Did you notice that woman with the wonderful smile?" I most certainly did. Her smile lit up the room. It was a smile to die for; one that would certainly win instant friends. It was a smile that you don't often see in a stranger. And maybe Mom and I smiled back, I don't remember. Mom later commented, "I wish I'd told her what a terrific smile she had." But neither of us had. We'd both received a gift without saying thank-you.
Later, on my long drive home, I stopped at a fast-food restaurant for a quick bite. A 70ish woman waited by the condiment bar while her husband ordered. She glanced my way and smiled brightly. It was one of those smiles that broadcast, "I love life!"
I wasn't going to let THIS opportunity pass. I was going to say SOMETHING. As I approached this woman from 30 feet away, her smile melted into a rather startled look; as if asking, "Did I do something wrong?" I walked over to her and simply said, "You have a wonderful smile!" Wow, did her face light up! And she responded with an enthusiastic, "Thank You". My comment probably made her day, but it also made MY day. We truly exchanged gifts that afternoon.
SMILES: INSTANT FACELIFTS
Life's lessons have taught me this: a smile is the number one feature that makes people attractive. It's a welcome mat. It's what makes folks approachable. People with a great smiles radiate a warmth that draws others to them instantly.
Some people naturally have a great smile. Others, analytical types like me, must work at it. One way to tell if you're in my category is to recall picking up your developed photos. As you flipped through the pictures, you didn't like the way you looked in most of them. But then...you discovered that one great picture of yourself. In it, you look friendly, you're smiling broadly and your eyes twinkle. Now THAT picture looks like you!
I hate to say it, but ALL the pictures look like you, even those you dislike. Unfortunately, those "bad" photos, where your face doesn't look its best, portray how you often appear. In fact, you might normally look even worse, since you were TRYING to look good for the camera. Usually you're not even making that effort, and may appear even less inviting than you do in "bad" photos. And if you're like me, you assume you're not particularly photogenic and that your smile needs work. When you've mastered your smile, you'll consistently look better in photos. Most important, though, you'll be more attractive and approachable every day.
When you're having a good time, does your face show it? You might be surprised. Years ago I dropped into a comedy club in Montgomery, Alabama. I was sitting in the front row, where one is typically fair game to be picked on by the comedian. But being the non-expressive, serious Norwegian that I am, I wasn't giving the comic the jovial feedback he needed. I was enjoying the show, but in a straight-faced manner. About halfway through the show, the comic interrupted his routine to ask me point-blank, "Are you having a good time?" I responded, "I'm having a great time." His comeback: "Well then, tell your face!" I was enjoying the program, laughing inside, even studying the performer's humor and technique. BUT...not giving him any outward indication.
In everyday life the same concept applies. You might be enjoying your job, but fail to show it. You may want to meet someone, yet not give them a single, friendly clue. You can even be IN LOVE with somebody, and totally hide it. Your face should express what you feel when you wish to connect with others.
SMILE AEROBICS FOR EMOTIONAL HEALTH
One way to become better at smiling is increasing your awareness. Take notice of those you find warm and inviting. Is it their smile? Make an effort to LOOK for great smiles. Notice the appeal of people who smile with their EYES, not just their mouth. The whole face gets involved. Consider these people your models. Study yourself in the mirror. How do you look in the rest room, when shopping, and while passing a reflective window? Do you look friendly? Approachable? Do you really LIKE the image you're projecting?
In fact, a mirror is ideal for your smile workout. Practice various smiles toward capturing that perfect look for the camera. Work on expressing your smile with your eyes. A tip: cut a paper rectangle that permits you to see only your eyes in the mirror. Practice smiling just with your eyes. Get used to the feel of your cheekbones as they lift to brighten your eyes. When you see how a great smile LOOKS, remember how it FEELS. When you can finally project your best smile, hold it. Turn away from the mirror. How does your face feel? What muscles are you using? Make an effort to develop muscle memory, so you can instantly recreate this smile at will.
THE SMILING REMINDER
Sometimes it's life's little reminders that help us focus on making self-improvements. I set out to find a "smile" lapel pin as a permanent token of my smile's importance. After a fruitless one-year search, I commissioned the design and production of smile pins. Now when I encounter a total stranger with a million-dollar smile (not an everyday occurrence), I share the compliment, "You have a wonderful smile...thanks for brightening my day! I'd like you to have my golden smile pin." Then I might add, "And someday, when YOU see a total stranger with a fantastic smile, you can pass on the pin to them."
This little reminder has conditioned me to search out life's glowing smiles, and not to allow them to pass unnoticed. I always carry "golden smile" pins. And when I spot a show-stopper smile, I always express my appreciation.
Other strategic pluses:
1. The pin reminds me never to leave home half-dressed: without my smile. Even while I'm running routine errands, it keeps me focused on smiles as life's true blessings.
2. By shaping my focus, the pin increases awareness of my public appearance and attitude. For example, when in a grocery line, I don't want the checker to glance up and think, "Why in heaven's name is this sourpuss wearing a smile pin?" It forces me to wear a friendly face all day.
3. The pin encourages me to compliment others. When I fail to say a kind word about someone's beautiful smile, I feel guilty. Now, that's what I call constructive guilt! We've often been conditioned to feel shame because we've not lived up to what others expect, but isn't it more positive to suffer guilt for failing our OWN expectations?
You needn't search for a smile pin to remind you. You can choose another object, like a clown pin, that will program you to focus on smile power. Or consider something that nobody else sees, like whimsical underwear. In fact, you may discover that the sheer strength of just your awareness can create positive life changes. With practice you can focus on life's smiles; and create your own relaxed, naturally warm smile. And THEN when you get back a roll of photos, you'll like almost all of them! That's certainly been my pleasant experience. And when you encounter customers, strangers, or loved ones, you'll always be ready to pass on your award-winning smile!