Abstract
Theoretically based distinctions linked to measurable differences in appearance are described for three smiles: felt smiles (spontaneous expressions of positive emotion); false smiles (deliberate attempts to appear as if positive emotion is felt when it isn't); and, miserable smiles (acknowledgements of feeling miserable but not intending to do much about it). Preliminary evidence supports some of the hypotheses about how these three kinds of smile differ.
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O'Sullivan, M., Ekman, P., & Friesen, W.V. Emotion recognition: measuring affect specific abilities. Manuscript in preparation.
O'Sullivan, M., Ekman, P., Friesen, W.V., & Weiss, A. Judging felt and false smiles. Manuscript in preparation.
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This research was supported by a grant (MH 11976) and a Research Scientist Award (MH 06092) from the National Institute of Mental Health. We are grateful to Maureen O'Sullivan for her suggestions on this report.
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Ekman, P., Friesen, W.V. Felt, false, and miserable smiles. J Nonverbal Behav 6, 238–252 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987191
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987191