Can you read a smile?

The September 2011 issue of Allure magazine says that while the old adage notes the eyes are the windo of the soul, you can tell far more from a smile.  Marianne LaFrance, professor of physhology at Yale and author of Lip Services: Smiles in Life, Death, Trust, Lies, Work, Memory, Sex and Politics gives tips on how to read lips.  Want to know how to tell a real smile from a fake one? “In a real smile, the cheeks rise and crow’s-feet appear.  In a fake smile, only the mouth is involved.  Also, a real smile comes onto the face in a relaxed way and stays only a few seconds, while a fake smile seems to snap on and is held too long.”  Know the difference between a smile and a smirk? “Authentic smiles are symmetrical.  Both sides of the mouth curve up eaqually.  A smirk is asymmetrical – the curve is more pronounced on one side.  It communicates contempt.”  Did you know, men and women smile differently? “Women smile more than men.  They also have larger smile muscles, which has led scientists to ask whether women smile more because of their face muscles or if those muscles developed because they’re encouraged to smile.  Also, women are better at reading smiles.”