# Can YOU spot the fake smile? I can...I rock. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 18, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375 "2011-05-18T21:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/21 "2011-05-19T00:58:34Z")
18 out of 20 ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/22 "2011-05-19T01:05:28Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > This is very cool: > > [BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Spot The Fake Smile](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/) > > I am absurdly pleased with myself because I got 18 of 20 right, and one of the two I missed didn’t actually play, it got stuck, so I really got 19 of 20. > > I am a little mystified about why this tickles me so…maybe it’s because I am by nature extremely trusting and accepting, so it’s good to know that I have decent radar for insincerity… > > So test yourself, and please, **DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR OTHERS.** There is a kind of “key” (that I knew the answer to, BTW) and if you want to talk about it or anything, **put it in a spoiler box** so other people can take the test “raw”. > > I am referring to (don’t read this if you don’t want your “raw” result changed) > > the fact that the thing to look at is the eyes. I didn’t know why until I read the result page, but I did know to look there and that’s what I looked at. I redid the test after looking under the spoiler and got only 2 right. Gack! ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/23 "2011-05-19T01:17:07Z")
I only scored 14/20. Dayum, I considered myself a better judge than that. I already knew to look at the eyes and still missed 6. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/24 "2011-05-19T01:29:46Z")
17 out of 20. Not bad, I think. It’s all in the eyes and upper face. Fake smiles use only the mouth. A genuine smile uses muscles in the upper face as well. I had a great time teasing a female co-worker, since women (I think?) are supposed to be better at this than men. I got a 17, she got an 11. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/25 "2011-05-19T01:30:36Z")
17 out of 20. Combination of eyes and overall facial movement. It seemed like most of the genuine ones were laughing and moving more, and the fake ones weren’t. > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Is it just me or were a lot of those people have REALLY messed up teeth? > > … though this was on the BBC site… I didn’t even notice the website, but about halfway through I thought, “These people all look British.” ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/26 "2011-05-19T02:09:56Z")
I’ve done this test twice before, I think. Both times I think I got something like 18/20. I knew which part of the face you were supposed to look at. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/27 "2011-05-19T03:33:52Z")
19 but I’ve been kind of a student of reading body language and non-verbals so I knew what to look for. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/28 "2011-05-19T03:46:57Z")
1. I’m going to be seeing #13 in my nightmares, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/29 "2011-05-19T05:25:47Z")
The so-called “tip”, isn’t that just a known basic skill? I’m not tooting my own horn, but I’ve looked at that since childhood. This is a new skill for people? ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/30 "2011-05-19T05:45:56Z")
20! Feeling pretty savvy right about now… ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/31 "2011-05-19T08:13:25Z")
[We did this before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=585083). I scored 17/20 back then - haven’t tried again (I have a fear that I would do worse, for some reason). ---
**Author:** ![Waldelfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Waldelfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waldelfe)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/32 "2011-05-19T11:23:13Z")
I had 19, missed #3 and I knew that I had to look at the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/33 "2011-05-19T19:23:41Z")
Woohoo I got 18 out of 20! I missed 8 and 16 ---
**Author:** ![Beniamino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Beniamino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beniamino)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/34 "2011-05-19T19:29:21Z")
I also got 19/20, but knew the “trick” from a college psych. class. Anyone else miss number 11? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/35 "2011-05-19T19:47:05Z")
15/20, I expected to do a little better as I knew looking at the eyes was key, although I didn’t know the full explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/36 "2011-05-19T22:30:04Z")
I got 11/20, but 8 out of the last 10 when I started noticing something as a tip that was not the eyes.[/spoiler] What seemed to work for me, once I caught on was People who fake smile tend to go right into the smile, while the real ones seemed to work there way into a smile. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/37 "2011-05-20T20:38:55Z")
I got 17 out of 20. Oddly, all three I missed are in the second column. I’m not sure if that means anything. The second one in second column just looks creepy. I think I was overcompensating. Also, I saw the first one, thought “that doesn’t look real”, _then_ realized I had to push the play button. 😃 > [@Stoid](#): > > I am absurdly pleased with myself because I got 18 of 20 right, and one of the two I missed didn’t actually play, it got stuck, so I really got 19 of 20. No, it means you got 18 out of _19_. You don’t get credit for the one that stuck, but it doesn’t count against you. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/38 "2011-05-20T20:59:01Z")
19/20 I did not “know” about the trick, but I did have an inkling. I am male, btw. Someone mentioned females being better than males, so there’s that data, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/39 "2011-05-20T21:01:23Z")
Also, how do you pull off the “spolier” thing? I am sure it’s explained elsewhere, but you’re using it here a lot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375/40 "2011-05-20T21:20:05Z")
17/20. Missed the 3rd & 5th guys and the Asian woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile-i-can-i-rock/582375.md?page=3)