What does a smile say? What a smile can say about a person

A smile is wonderful, isn't it? We smile so often that we don't always notice that there are different types of smiles. Some smiles are sincere and open, others are sad and forced. Sometimes we smile to hide our pain and anxiety.

To better understand people and be able to determine when a person is actually smiling and not faking it, we need to pay more attention to the types of smiles that each person uses on a daily basis depending on how they feel. Below are 7 types of smiles and their meaning.

A mocking smile A mocking smile does not reflect feelings of joy, fun or happiness. People who smile mockingly or smirking are usually selfish. They are aware of their superiority over others and believe that they know more about life than anyone else. This is not a genuine smile and should be avoided unless you want to come across as arrogant or selfish.

A smile with an open mouth is the most sincere and beautiful smile. She does not hide anything, demonstrating a person’s genuine feelings and emotions. People who smile like this really feel joy and are not afraid to show it. You need to smile like that more often to share your good mood with others.

Fake Smile This type of smile can be unpleasant to look at, and people usually notice its insincerity right away. This type of smile is used when they want to hide their true feelings. Fake smiles look polite, but they never come from the heart. Such a smile affects only the lips, it is not reflected in the person’s eyes.

Sincere smilePeople who smile sincerely make others smile back at them. It is impossible to resist the genuine joy! This smile indicates that the person is happy with what is happening at the moment, be it a conversation, watching a movie or listening to music. It's not every day that you see people smiling like that, so this type of smile is especially valuable since sincerity has become so rare.

Closed Lip Smile The Closed Lip Smile is the most common smile we see every day. This is a polite smile that says nothing about a person's true feelings. You've probably seen celebrities smile on the red carpet many times in front of photographers. Celebrities must attend the event without looking tired, sad or irritated. A smile with closed lips comes to their aid.

Mysterious smile Women like to smile mysteriously when they want to seem mysterious. Mysterious smiles are difficult to decipher, and men can only guess what they really express. This is why women use them.

Confident Smile People smile confidently when they know that they look beautiful in their own eyes. This is especially true for women who are critical of themselves and always strive for excellence. This kind of smile comes not from other people's opinions of you, but from your own deep understanding that you are a unique and interesting person. People smile confidently when they are proud of themselves.

About children's smiles

According to gynecologists, we are born with a smile. 21st century technology for creating 3D photos of babies from ultrasound images has revealed that babies smile a lot in the womb. Once born, babies continue to do this, although they still don’t even see the faces of those around them: their eyes still cannot focus, and the world is like a blur for them. They smile in their sleep, when no one sees them, and when they hear the voices of their parents.

How many times a day does a child and an adult smile?

Know: a child can smile up to 400 times a day! And people who communicate with children smile much more often. It’s a pity that some people, having grown up, do too important things and live with a serious expression on their faces 24 hours a day. Often such people admit that their life is hard and they feel unhappy. The average person smiles 20 times a day. A third of the world's population does this more than 20 times a day. And less than 14% - up to 5 times a day.

Crooked smile psychology. Secrets and mysteries of a smile

Among the variety of non-verbal means of communication, the smile occupies a special place. This is due not only to the role it plays in communication, but also to its amazing features.

A smile is a facial movement that can involve up to 53 facial muscles. And if you remember that there are 57 facial facial muscles, you understand how complex this movement is and how diverse a smile can be. In addition, the eyes are involved in this facial reaction - their expression is very important for understanding the essence of a smile.

It is traditionally believed that it expresses positive emotions: joy, pleasure, happiness. However, in the process of long evolution, the smile has acquired many types and meanings, and in modern man it often expresses rather contradictory emotions. For example, it is difficult to describe in a few words what feelings a sad, mocking, angry or tragic smile conveys. What does a person feel when he smiles doomedly? Hardly positive emotions. A person’s ability to convey through a smile a variety of feelings that are difficult to describe is one of the mysteries of this complex facial reaction.

Considering the complexity, you might think that learning to smile is very difficult and requires years of practice. But that's not true. Children begin to smile literally in the first weeks after birth, although, of course, many types of this facial reaction are mastered only by adults. Fortunately, our kids are incapable of sarcastic, contemptuous, or evil smiles.

Smiling does not need to be learned, because it is an innate expressive reaction. Even higher animals can smile: dogs, horses, dolphins, monkeys, etc. Expressive reactions arise as a manifestation of experienced emotions. A person has many of them, for example, redness of the skin, dilation and constriction of the pupils, tremors - trembling of the limbs, goosebumps on the skin, etc.

Expressive reactions are reflexive in nature, and a person cannot control them, voluntarily evoke or suppress them. So, we are not able to sweat or blush at our own request; our pupils also completely involuntarily dilate from fear and constrict from anger.

But the smile is unique. It is so important for a person that he has learned to control this reflex reaction. The importance of a smile in a person’s life is confirmed by the variety of its functions.

What does a smile express?

There are a lot of smiles, and they express very different, sometimes even opposite, states of mind. There is a cheerful, joyful smile, but there is also a sad smile, a sour smile, a smile of regret. A smile can express not only delight, but also sorrow, not only pleasure, but also pity.

What is common in this variety of different mental states that can generate a smile on the face? Perhaps the fact is that all these states are not associated with active and energetic actions. There is a smile of regret, but there is no angry smile. There is a gentle smile, but there is no passionate smile. A smile appears more likely in a witness than in an active participant in events, or in a participant when he has already done his job and can allow himself to “relax.” A smile reflects affective release, calmness, and the cessation of active actions at the moment. What if not peace is felt above all in Pushkin’s poems:

With a clear smile, nature greets the morning of the year through a dream.

All the calming power of words: “Why these dark thoughts! Look, all nature is smiling at us” (A. Ostrovsky. “Poor Bride”) - in the last word.

A smile expresses the cessation of active actions not only when these actions have led to success and satisfaction. “Peter Ivanovich fell silent with a smile, showing that he was not giving up, but that he did not want to argue with Marya Ivanovna” (L. Tolstoy. “Decembrists”),

The teacher smiles when he sees that the student in the exam, after several trials, has found the right way to solve a difficult problem; the task has not yet been solved, but the uncertainty has been removed, the path has been found - and the teacher smiles.

The meaning of a smile is psychology. Psychology: a man’s smile indicates his character

Psychology: a man’s smile indicates his character

A man holding back a laugh.

He wants to laugh, but he holds back his laughter - he shudders with laughter, covering his mouth at the same time. It is quite difficult to piss off such a man. And if he falls in love, then for real. A man with such a smile is the embodiment of reliability. However, he also needs a friendly shoulder.

A man who closes his eyes with pleasure leans back and laughs so that his sky can be seen.

Such a man's smile indicates the ability to enjoy life. But such a man needs a wife only when he needs to share his worries with someone.

A man laughing heartily and with his mouth open.

Life gives this type of man pleasure - love, drink, food. It's the perfect holiday companion. However, this spontaneous guy is quite primitive: he can very quickly get bored with abstruse intellectual conversations. Unfortunately, he can be rude.

A man with a mysterious smile.

This type of man looks impressive. But be careful! A man with such a smile on his mind, and he has the skin of a rhinoceros. Especially if he lifts the right corner of his mouth when smiling. The right side of the face is controlled by the will. A guy can lie without blinking an eye.

A man with a heartfelt smile.

The guy smiles quite sweetly from the left corner of his mouth. If you have met such a person, then you can be congratulated. On the left, in addition to the heart, there is also honesty. Therefore, usually the left side of the mouth is not controlled and what is reflected on it is the truth.

A man shaking with laughter, slapping everyone on the knees, grabbing everyone by the shoulders.

Such a man's smile indicates that the man is literally filled with complexes. He always wants to be the center of attention and if he fails to do so, he gets irritated.

A man who smiles with concern.

His mouth smiles, but not his eyes. Poor! This is a very uptight person. Or he really wants to hide how much you get on his nerves.

Smile with a closed mouth. 1 Improving the appearance of your smile

Practice smiling a lot. Have you ever heard of a “slight smile”? People with an easy smile begin to smile effortlessly, and this usually makes those around them feel happy. If you practice a lot, smiling will become easier and you will appear less stressed. Smile the smile that you find most attractive. Soon your confidence in your smile will increase and you will start doing it without thinking.

Look at photos of you smiling in different ways. Do you like your smile better with your mouth closed? Maybe with it open? Check from different angles. What smiles and poses make your face look brighter? Which smile brings out other facial features at their best. Which smile is the most natural, the most “yours”? Find out which smile you like best, then practice in front of the mirror until you get it right. Notice how great this smile makes you feel so you can replicate it without a mirror.
Practice smiling at random strangers. Just make brief eye contact with the person and smile. At the same time, think about the positive. Not everyone will smile back, but notice how you feel when you smile back!

Smile with your eyes. A smile from the bottom of your heart will be reflected in your eyes. This natural smile is called a Duchenne smile. You can't fake it; when you force yourself to smile for a photograph, your eyes don't smile. Only when you really want to smile does your Duchenne smile shine. Eyes are essential for a genuine, warm smile.

To get a feel for how to make your eyes smile, stand in front of a mirror and practice smiling, but focus on your eyes. It will help if you cover the lower part of your face with paper. Play with this a little and you will notice that you can smile with your mouth while your eyes do not smile, and that you can also smile only with your eyes.
When your eyes smile, remember these feelings, which muscles work and how. With practice, you will understand how to smile with your eyes whenever you want, relying on your feelings and muscle memory.

Maintain good oral hygiene. One of the reasons you may be afraid to smile is because you're worried about something stuck in your teeth or bad breath. Eliminate these sources of anxiety by taking proactive steps to keep your mouth clean and fresh.

Brush your teeth and tongue regularly, always have dental floss on hand wherever you go so you can brush your teeth after meals, and always carry a breath freshener (natural or commercially made) with you.
Visit your dentist regularly for checkups and teeth cleanings, and to discuss teeth straightening if this is a concern for you. When you smile, people are more likely to look at your mouth, so by following these tips you can leave a better impression, and most importantly, a clean mouth will make you more confident in your smile.
If your teeth are darkened, consider your lifestyle and habits that may be leading to this and try to reduce the impact of habits such as smoking or consuming red wine, coffee, soft drinks, etc. You can also whiten them if this increases your confidence.
Keep your lips in good shape to prevent them from getting chapped.
Accept bad breath. If it is a superficial phenomenon, cleaning and refreshing should be enough. If this doesn't work, it may be a sign of a health problem, so check with your doctor.

How does a smile affect a person?

A smile gives joy

At the University of Parma (Italy), neuroscientists Giacomo Rizzolatti, Luciano Fadigoi, Vittorio Gallese and Leonardo Fogassi discovered mirror neurons. They make it possible, looking at a person, to feel his mood and emotions. Simply put, when you see someone happy and smiling, your mirror neurons allow you to feel their happiness, which makes you feel happier.

It has also become known that smiling stimulates the pleasure center in the brain, causing the release of more endorphins, even more than sweets. Ivan Pavlov, the famous physiologist, studied the reflex connection between what a person sees, hears or does and changes in the functioning of internal organs. So, a smile reflexively triggers the release of joy hormones, among other things, because in the psyche it is associated with a state of joy. British scientists, in turn, found that one smile in terms of the strength of a positive brain reaction is equal to 2,000 bars of chocolate or the joy of receiving 25 thousand dollars. It turns out that children who smile 400 times a day experience as much joy as millionaires with $10 million in their accounts.

A smile brings success

An unusual study was conducted at the University of Berkeley (USA). They took photo albums of graduates, measured the width of their smiles and tried to predict how successful they would be in 5 or more years. And then they checked the predictions and turned out to be right in their assumption: the graduates who smiled widely in the photo scored high on well-being tests, they had strong marriages, and the people around them considered them respectable citizens. By the way, one of the students in these albums was Barrack Obama - in the photo he practically glowed with a radiant smile.

A smile decorates

When you smile, you look better to others! For example, at Penn University (USA), based on the results of many surveys, they found out that smiling people seem beautiful, polite and competent to others. Even if a person does not see you (for example, during a telephone conversation), and you smile at him, he feels your good disposition towards him.

Smiling prolongs life

Popular wisdom says: “laughter prolongs life.” It is nothing more than a popular observation that smiling people live longer. If you want to look better, be more confident, reduce stress, improve family relationships, feel like you ate a piece of cake or a bar of chocolate, find money, if you want to live longer, healthier, happier - SMILE, SMILE, SMILE!

In 2010, Wayne University (USA) conducted a long-term (more than 10 years) study of the life expectancy of baseball players and found out that players who smiled in their photographs were, on average, more productive and lived longer. Smiling players lived on average 80 years, but gloomy and serious players lived less than 72 years.

Paul Ekman from the University of California, in a study of facial expressions, learned that smiling is a universal emotion. In Papua New Guinea, members of the For tribe, living in complete isolation, described the reasons for their smiles in the same way as the inhabitants of Europe. Smiling is a universal expression of humanity: no matter who you are or where you live, you smile to express happiness and satisfaction.

Smiling improves health

Unlike a lot of sweets, a lot of smiling can improve your health. Reduce the level of stress hormones in the blood (cortisol, adrenaline, dopamine) and increase the amount of happiness hormones (endorphins), and also bring your blood pressure back to normal. If you smile for 20 seconds, then your mood reflexively begins to improve. A minute smile triggers the production of endorphins. And smiling for 5 minutes normalizes blood pressure and pulse, and reduces stress levels.

How many times a day do you smile? And are you happy? Maybe we should start smiling?!

Our channel: Yandex Zen

What is a smile? The meaning of the word "smile"

SMILE, -and, kind. pl. - side, dat. - bkam, w. Movement of the facial muscles (lips, eyes), showing a disposition to laugh, expressing greetings, pleasure, ridicule, etc. Contemptuous smile. A smile of joy. □ The slightest sensation of pleasure brought an attractive smile to her lips, gave a deep shine and some kind of secret tenderness to her glowing eyes. Turgenev, Nobles' Nest. Someone’s simple, kind face poked its head through the slightly open door and broke into a wide smile. Furmanov, Mutiny.

Source (printed version): Dictionary of the Russian language: In 4 volumes / RAS, Institute of Linguistics. research; Ed. A. P. Evgenieva. — 4th ed., erased. - M.: Rus. language; Polygraph resources, 1999; (electronic version):

A smile is an expressive movement of the facial muscles (lips, eyes and cheeks), showing a disposition to laugh or expressing pleasure, greeting, joy, goodwill or irony, mockery (smirk).