What is the smile saying?

Well that depends what type of smile you are seeing! There are 9 basic smiles and each one has a different emotion behind it.

Upper smile
  1. Upper – Lips are parted and the upper teeth are shown. Used in a warm greeting or during friendly conversation;
  2. Shy – Similar to the upper smile, but the lower lip is tucked behind the teeth and the head is tilted down. Shows someone is embarrassed but in good humour;
  3. Broad – Lower teeth are bared as well as the uppers. Seen when someone is laughing heartily at a joke. Usually reverts to an upper smile on eye contact as it can comes across as slightly aggressive;
  4. Play – Open mouth with the corners drawn up and the teeth hidden. Often seen in children or adults waiting for a comedians joke;
  5. Simple – The mouth moves out and up. The lips stretch, but do not part. Seen when someone is smiling to themselves;
  6. Fake – Similar to the upper smile, but doesn’t reach the eyes. Seen in photographs or awkward social situations;
  7. Oblong – Corners of the mouth are square, showing gritted teeth. Shows a mix of fear and aggression;
  8. Wry – Similar to the simple smile, but the corners of the mouth turn down in to a lopsided scowl. Shows disapproval, but not serious annoyance;
  9. Compressed – Lips pressed tightly together and the corners of the mouth move outwards and up. A social warning sign, such as when someone is being distasteful.

Rather than having to get technical about whether the lips are curving up symmetrically or whether the lips are parted or not, you can also consider the context of the situation Make sure you are considering all of the body language cues being shown, not just the smile.

For more information about what to look for, see the Establishing Baseline blog.