
There are 19 types of smile but only six are for happiness - pmcpinto
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same?ocid=global_future_rss
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arafa
"But we now know that most people – around 71% - can voluntarily contract the
inner portion of the orbicularis oculi."

I can't find the source for this anywhere online. My experience with over 100
hours of practice in front of a mirror (don't ask) and the research I've read
suggests otherwise. And even if you can voluntarily contract your orbicularis
oculi, you'll need to have the proper onset/offset times and constant
intensities for muscle contraction, which are just as hard to fake and easy
for a trained observer to spot.

I suggest the "crow's feet" from a Duchenne Smile is still a reliable
indicator of feeling happy for all those reasons, if observed appropriately.
It was far easier to fake a real smile by thinking of something happy, which
is why facial recognition is still much better for emotion detection than lie
detection.

~~~
bryondowd
Wouldn't your experience be at least as likely to mean that you are simply in
the 29% of people who cannot do this? I would imagine people who can't flare
their nostrils, roll their tongue, move their scalp (maybe this one is just
me), or any number of other common but not universal movements would feel the
same way you do at being told that these movements are not only possible, but
quite common.

I'm no trained observer, but looking at myself in a mirror right now, I can
fake a smile that appears to me no different from a genuine smile formed while
focusing on a happy thought. But I don't think I have a very expressive face
in general, in addition to now knowing any key things to look for other than
crows feet.

~~~
arafa
Even if I am in the 29% (which is less likely, statistically speaking) along
with my friend who also did the training and couldn't do this voluntarily,
that's only one part of my argument. I'd still like to see the source for that
data. It would contradict research that I've read. And voluntary movement
still won't address onset, offset, and intensity of muscle contractions. In
addition, voluntary facial movements will often be unilateral (one-sided) or
asymmetric in some facet (stronger on one side than another) as well, among
other concerns.

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pavement

      True ‘felt’ smiles were first discovered by 
      repeatedly electrocuting a middle-aged man.
    

Everything about that statement is just beyond ridiculous.

~~~
avn2109
"To electrocute" means "to kill by electric shock [0]," therefore it's in
principle impossible to "repeatedly electrocute" anyone.

[0] [https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/electrocute](https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/electrocute)

~~~
bryondowd
Yes, this annoyed me slightly while reading the article. But, it's typical in
common speech to use "electrocute" to mean "to deliver a significant
electrical shock". Since there's no concise way to express that concept, and
it is probably a more common occurrence than true electrocution, it makes
sense that people have adapted the word this way. I expect this is one of
those cases of language evolving where this meaning will eventually make it
into dictionaries. At least it's more functional than using "literally" in the
place of "figuratively".

~~~
logfromblammo
I have repeatedly tried to push "electrotetanize" for non-lethal, non-
injurious electric shocks that are nonetheless strong enough to produce muscle
contraction or temporary paralysis. Sadly, it has not been considered
cromulent enough to propagandate.

So my continuum of increasing exposure to electricity would be charge < shock
< zap < prod < jolt < galvanize < electrify < electrotetanize <
electrocauterize < electrocute.

Keraunos is the Greek root for lightning, and fulgur/fulmen is the Latin root,
in case you might want to coin your own term.

Fulgurate is a synonym for electrocauterize.

~~~
lacampbell
Why not just "shock"? Like the famous Peter Gabriel song "Shock the Monkey".

~~~
logfromblammo
Because you can give someone a shock by dragging your feet across a carpet and
touching exposed skin.

When you start piling on the syllables, you know there's some serious current
flowing.

~~~
lacampbell
"heavy shock" is much easier than "electrotetanize"

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brotherjerky
This article desperately needs pictures. I'm sure at some point someone will
collect them all and post another version.

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red75prime
The russian proverb is actually 'laughter with no reason is a sign of
stupidity’. 'Смех без причины - признак дурачины'. But, yeah, smiling with no
genuine reason isn't usual here in Russia.

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losteverything
Jack hamm and his books are great for lousy artists/cartoonists like me

Muscles of expression
[https://terahdrawing.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hamm_facial...](https://terahdrawing.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hamm_facialmuscles1.jpg)

[https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/564x/07/97/dc/0797dce28...](https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/564x/07/97/dc/0797dce28fe21c25b19a4dfd5544f6a6.jpg)

(Last is one of two pages)

~~~
specialist
Nice share, thanks.

Gary Fagan founded the Gage Academy of Fine Arts. He's done quite a bit of
work on representing facial expressions. His book is "required" reading for
portrait arts. His lectures are fun too.

[http://www.garyfaigin.com/faigin-face-blog](http://www.garyfaigin.com/faigin-
face-blog)

[http://www.garyfaigin.com/expression-
demonstrations.html](http://www.garyfaigin.com/expression-demonstrations.html)

The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression
[https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Complete-Guide-Facial-
Express...](https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Complete-Guide-Facial-
Expression/dp/0823004325)

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sosuke
I hoped for samples of each smile. I had a guilty pleasure in watching a short
lived fictitious TV series called "Lie to me" which focused on reading faces.

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Semiapies
I wonder how valid these 19 tips really are, given the differences in smiles
between nationalities.

[http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/201...](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/07/olympic_smiles_how_to_identify_athletes_nationalities_based_on_their_facial_expressions_.html)

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kafkaesq
And soon enough, those cameras already popping up everywhere will be pattern-
matching your pretty face against all of them, dozens of times a day, with 97%
accuracy. And logging these scores to, well, you know where.

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gwbas1c
The article doesn't have clear examples of the 19 types of smiles.

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woodandsteel
There are 19 different types of smiles. And a skillful professional actor can
voluntarily do every one of them

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jpfed
I have nothing constructive to add, but when I was still a UW-Madison student,
I did karaoke with Paula Niedenthal. She absolutely killed.

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inputcoffee
For those who want to see weird smile: check out the smiles of the help in Get
Out.

I think I know how I would qualify those.

I have a lot more to say on this but can't avoid spoilers.

