Your smile can really betray you and show you what you really think. But on the other hand, you can read people’s minds if you know the nuances of facial expressions. And spoiler alert, every smile doesn’t translate into positive feelings for you.

We have discovered some remarkable scientific discoveries about smile types and we’d like to share them with you.

There Are 3 Main Groups Of Smiles

After studying the people, the researchers divided the smiles according to the combinations of muscles:

Smile reward. It is the asymmetrical elevation of the zygomatic muscles with an elevation of the eyebrow. The lips meet.

Affiliate smile. Communicate tolerance, recognition or bond. It is also symmetrical, but stretches wider and thinner with tight lips and no exposed teeth.

Smile of dominance. It signifies status and is not symmetrical, with raised eyebrows and raised cheeks.

In addition, the researchers define more specific types that can display different shades of emotion.

Flirtatious Smile

This is a very famous smile that we have seen many times in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa. It’s one of those eerie, embarrassed smiles you wear before quickly looking away. This act lasts only a moment.

Next time, you will notice that someone is flirting with you when you see that expression on a person who is looking at you.

Felt Smile

The smile you feel is easy to recognize. Muscles reflect genuine, uncontrolled, and positive emotions. No other muscles in the lower part of the face are involved, except the muscles around the eyes, so wrinkles can be seen. The smile you feel can last a long time and be intense.

Contempt Smile

The Contempt Smile is not a positive expression. This indicates a mixture of disgust or resentment. The corners of the lips are tight, and one side of the lips is often higher than the other.

Miserable Smile

The miserable smile is a grin-and-bear-it expression. It is very light and asymmetrical. You can see deep sadness in the eyes of the person expressing it. Basically, it is a kind of protection and effort to hide misery.

You can see this smile when a person is trying to pretend something is okay, but in reality, it is not. It’s like watching a boring movie with your partner and you hate it, but it has to be there.

Dampened Smile

The dampened smile is an attempt to control a happy smile. It happens when we need to be polite and we shouldn’t smile, even if there is something that looks a lot of fun. The cheeks are raised, but the corners of the lips are facing downward.

Qualifier Smile

The qualifying smile is intended to soften the bad news. You have that expression when you discover that all the chairs in a restaurant are reserved or occupied.

It all starts abruptly. The lower lip is slightly raised and you may notice a tilt of the head.

How often do you try to fake a happy smile? What made you smile today?