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.

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.

Smiling Smiling

Smiling as a personality quality is a tendency to smile often, showing an inner cheerful attitude, joyfulness and friendliness.

In ancient times, there lived a sultan who was famous for his justice (this is also very rare, but it happened!). And he had a vizier whom no one ever saw without a smile on his face. Many years ago, from nowhere, he came to the palace in an old robe, became a simple servant, but was so smart and devoted to the Sultan that he soon made him vizier. This man was always in a good mood, always smiling. This, understandably, caused bewilderment and envy among the rest of the courtiers. They began to whisper and gossip. Rumors spread around the palace that something was dirty - the vizier was probably spying for another state. They began to follow the vizier, spying on him. They discovered that every evening he locked himself in a small room and sat there for some time, and no one knew what he was doing. They reported this to the Sultan. The Sultan did not believe it at first and ordered the first servant to follow the vizier. A couple of days later the servant reported that everything was so. Then the Sultan decided to check everything personally. And when evening came, he descended on the vizier’s palace and ordered him to be taken straight to the secret room. They opened the door, and there was nothing in the room, except for an old shabby robe hanging on the wall and worn-out boots. The Sultan was surprised and asked the vizier: “Why do you need this old stuff?” And what are you doing here every evening? The vizier answered with a smile: “Oh my lord!” Every evening I come and look at this robe and these boots in which I once came to you. And you made me vizier. Sitting in this room reminds myself of who I was and who I have become. This makes me happy, I thank the Lord, life seems wonderful to me, so I smile.

Smiling is a reflection of spiritual joy. If a person wakes up with the thought: “Today is the happiest day of my life” and smiles, then everything is fine with him. If, summing up the results of the day, he falls asleep with a smile on his lips, it means that he is satisfied with life, in which “green foliage, spring and a blue sky” are clearly visible.

Smiling is the property of the soul, not the lips. You can evoke a semblance of a smile by saying: “Marmalade” or “Ch-i-i-z,” but there is no life in such a smile. When a person does not smile from the heart, he can be suspected of idiocy, cynicism, servility, tomfoolery or insincerity. Hypocrites and hypocrites use smiling as a mask to realize their selfish plans. A smile from ear to ear at the sight of human grief is a grin of vices. Behind a false smile you can try to hide fear, misunderstanding, stupidity, coquetry, flattery, deceit and deception.

Smiling is the inner glow of the soul breaking through to the face. A state of inner happiness and joy cannot be made to order. It is inner happiness that makes a person smile. Smiling always knows the measure, place and time when it is appropriate for it to manifest itself, and the soul again serves as a guide in this.

Smiling is alive and well, because the soul flows with goodwill, love for people, cheerfulness and sincerity. Smiling literally enlivens everything around you. Without this, she would not be so pleasant, charming and attractive. Being the essence of attractiveness, smiling makes a person charming.

Valery Shevchuk, who was at Artek in 1961, recalls Gagarin’s extraordinary smile: “I would recognize him even from millions of people. He walked and smiled, smiled with his unique, bewitching, radiant, and even some kind of childish smile, painfully familiar from newspaper photographs. Now it even has its own name - the Gagarin smile. He walks, smiles... He’s getting closer and closer. I have already taken off the bandage from my sleeve, and my legs have become like stone, I know what I need to do, but I can’t take a step. Valery Nikolaevich pushed me so lightly in the back, well, they say, come on Valerik, your way out. I took a few steps and stopped in front of Gagarin, rooted to the spot. My chin is shaking, I’m standing there, and I can’t say anything clearly, my tongue has refused. Yuri Alekseevich smiled, and suddenly took me and raised me in his arms, kissed me, and quietly asked in my ear: “What did you want?” “Tie a bandage,” I answer. “Then tie it up,” and he put me back on my feet. Here everything is honorable, I tied a bandage on him, saluted, and Gagarin, in addition, ruffled the hair on my head. That’s how it was, my acquaintance with Gagarin.”

Smiling is a feminine personality trait. It is unimaginable to imagine femininity without smiling. In order for a woman to realize her life purpose, she needs to reveal and use the entire arsenal of her hidden advantages, among which smiling takes pride of place. She shows feminine nature in inextricable connection with caring, loyalty, tenderness, the ability to forgive, affection, gentleness, flexibility, friendliness, complaisance, modesty and the ability to inspire a man to personal growth. Kindness, tenderness and a smile towards everyone living is a big plus for a woman, showing her maternal qualities.

Women's smiling is inherent in nature itself. Research conducted by Marvin Hest and Marianne La France from Boston University showed that women smile more often than men, both socially and at work. As a result, the woman begins to look submissive and weak in comparison with stern, unsmiling men. Research shows that by the age of eight weeks, girls smile significantly more often than boys. From this we can conclude that a woman’s smiling is an innate quality, not an acquired one. Most likely, the smile corresponds to the evolutionary role of women - the role of peacemaker and caretaker. This does not mean that a woman cannot be as authoritative as a man. But smiling makes her less powerful.

Psychologist Nancy Hanley calls a woman's smile "the sign of a peacemaker." Smiling is often used to subdue more dominant men. Dr. Hanley's research showed that women smile 87% of the time during interactions, while men only smile 67%. Women are 26% more likely to smile back at people of the opposite sex. During one experiment, 257 men were asked to rate the attractiveness of women from photographs. Women with sad expressions were found to be the least attractive. Women who don't smile are seen as unhappy, while men who don't smile are traditionally seen as domineering and energetic. From this we can draw one conclusion: when communicating with powerful men in a business setting, women should smile less often or exactly as much as their interlocutor smiles. If a man wants to convince a woman that he is right, he needs to smile more often.

There is a parable about a smile. It costs nothing, but gives a lot. It enriches those who receive it without impoverishing those who give it. It lasts for a moment, but sometimes remains in the memory forever. No one is rich enough to do without it, and there is no such poor person who would not become richer from it. It creates happiness in the home, generates an atmosphere of goodwill in business relationships and serves as a password for friends. She is rest for the weary, daylight for the discouraged, a ray of sunshine for the sad, and nature's best antidote to trouble. And yet, it cannot be bought, it cannot be begged, it cannot be borrowed or stolen, since it in itself is not good for anything until it is given away! No one needs it more than those who have nothing left to give!

Petr Kovalev 2013 Other articles by the author: https://www.podskazki.info/karta-statej/

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).