The Magical Power Of The Duchenne Smile

Some say that the Duchenne smile is the most genuine smile. Its magic makes us numb and sends out positive emotions. Of all the expressions that the human face can reflect, this is without a doubt one of the most attractive. The science of smile has been studied for a long time due to its powerful effect.

Some people define smiles as “social catalysts”. However, they are much more than that. Man enters this world with a social mechanism that is impregnated in its DNA. In fact, even blind people automatically smile without ever having seen a smile. This impulse improves mood, improves one’s relationships and allows us to express our feelings without words.

It is also important to mention that there are different types of smiles. Not all smiles are the same. In fact, one stands out in an interesting way. We’re talking about the Duchenne smile. The name comes from Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne, the neurologist and pioneer of photographic medicine, who studied it in the mid-19th century.

Dr. Duchenne was an expert in the physiology of movements and wanted to describe and find out how false smiles differ from authentic ones. To be able to do this, he examined step by step how the smiles are formed and arise in the face. To be able to smile, we use many muscles in our complex facial structure. It is without a doubt a topic worth exploring.

It is very likely that our readers are hesitant about whether a genuine and honest smile really exists. The people who believe this are not wrong. As many suspect, the Duchenne smile can be imitated. It can turn into a fake smile with a concrete goal: to seduce, convince, attract and deceive.

Tufts University in Massachusetts conducted a study and published it in The British Psychological Society, and according to it, over 69% could imitate this type of smile. However, an expert on Duchenne smiles could see that these smiles were fake. In this social gesture, there is a certain difference that goes beyond the mouth and eyes: the emotional authenticity.

As Dr. Duchenne explained in 1862 that the important function of every smile is the “elevation” and the corners of the lips with raised cheek muscles. A Duchenne smile has a unique and exceptional tone that arises with positive emotions such as joy. This tone is emitted due to a subtle combination of different muscles.

This type of smile occurs during the contraction of the zygomatic muscles near the mouth. These raise the corners of the lips. The only difference is that small wrinkles form around the eyes as both the cheeks and the orbicularis oculi muscle near the eye contract.

Paul Ekman is a psychologist who is famous for his work in emotions and smiles. Thanks to him, we know that there are 18 different types of smiles, the emotions that are related to them, and the facial muscles that are involved in each expression.

Something that Dr. Ekman points out that most smiles (including the fake ones) have their own goals and purposes. An authentic Duchenne smile, however, is a reflection of the soul’s feelings.

This idea may seem poetic, but it is actually something he wrote in a study published in a journal of social psychology. He said that one can identify this gesture by looking at the person’s eyes. This is where we can experience happiness, well-being and an authentic bond.

One thing we should know about the Duchenne smile is that it is controlled by e.g. the limbic system. What does this mean? This means that this gesture involves the most important emotional part of the brain. All this leads us to establish that the real smile comes from that part of the brain.

So someone is smiling at you, you should not just focus on what your lips look like. Look at the eyes and see if they shine with genuine positive emotions. In that case, you should feel the authenticity of the eyes and the gaze should be deep and make you feel liked.

Just as Daniel Goleman points out in his book Social Intelligence , there are many fake people with fake smiles. If we work with our emotions and value happiness and well-being, we will show the world what a real Duchenne smile looks like.