# Can you spot the fake smile? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555 "2004-12-07T15:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/1 "2004-12-07T15:27:49Z")
After doing the test linked in [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=290494) I did a couple more from the same site. I scored 19 out of 20 on [Spot the fake smile](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml). The one smile I got wrong is the only one I thought about changing my answer on. Quite fun! ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/2 "2004-12-07T15:49:45Z")
That was fun! I missed one as well. Overall I thought it was pretty easy, but that may have been helped by the fact that many of the genuine smiles came from people who were laughing. Which I guess could be faked, but didn’t seem to be in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/3 "2004-12-07T15:51:05Z")
WARNING. . . NOT SAFE FOR WORK. . .OR SMALL CHILDREN OR PREGNANT WOMEN. The link is 20 British people showing off their teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/4 "2004-12-07T16:01:30Z")
I got 16 out of 20. Not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/5 "2004-12-07T16:25:57Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > WARNING. . . NOT SAFE FOR WORK. . .OR SMALL CHILDREN OR PREGNANT WOMEN. > > The link is 20 British people showing off their teeth. Now \*that \*produced a real smile. ---
**Author:** ![Sutremaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sutremaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sutremaine)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/6 "2004-12-07T17:50:53Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > WARNING. . . NOT SAFE FOR WORK. . .OR SMALL CHILDREN OR PREGNANT WOMEN. > > The link is 20 British people showing off their teeth. 😃 I got 13/20. Two of those wrong answers were for the genuine smiles. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/7 "2004-12-07T19:42:37Z")
16 out of 20. I said the eyes were the most important part of the face. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/8 "2004-12-07T21:29:58Z")
18 out of 20. Learning how to fake a smile comes up in acting class. ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/9 "2004-12-07T21:38:16Z")
17 / 20 … ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/10 "2004-12-07T22:21:47Z")
19/20 :d ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/11 "2004-12-07T22:48:47Z")
I got 9 out of 20. I guess that means I’m an autistic sociopath, or something. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/12 "2004-12-07T22:54:42Z")
I only got 11/20 ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/13 "2004-12-07T23:09:06Z")
17 / 20 ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/14 "2004-12-08T00:17:19Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > 18 out of 20. Learning how to fake a smile comes up in acting class. Any hints? I always look like I’m about to submit to a dental exam on pictures… Well, except for that picture on my university student ID, where that gorgeous blonde was working the camera… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/15 "2004-12-08T00:18:45Z")
16/20, which is better than I expected. I don’t really consider myself to be very good at spotting social subtleties. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/16 "2004-12-08T00:32:03Z")
I got 13/20. Interestingly, most of the ones I got wrong were genuine smiles that I thought were fake, rather then vica versa. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/17 "2004-12-08T01:01:30Z")
> [@trupa](#): > > Any hints? Well, to clarify, I should say that we talked mostly about _why_ fake smiles look fake, and how to fake a more plausible fake by wrinkling the eyes with the cheek muscles. It still looks fake close-up, but from the point of view of the audience sitting not that close to the stage, it looks _less_ fake. Make sense? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/18 "2004-12-08T01:39:43Z")
I got a 16/20. It was an even split, I thought two fakes were real, and I thought two reals were fakes. Though it might have only been a 17/20 if the first smile played for me. I clicked play, and it didn’t play, but it only lets you play it once. Rather than reload, I just guessed. And was it just me, or did their camera lens make most of their foreheads look REALLY big? Or maybe British people just have large foreheads naturally? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/19 "2004-12-08T03:11:40Z")
18 out of 20, and the two I missed were genuine, but I thought a bit forced. Was #13 male or female? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555/20 "2004-12-08T03:24:47Z")
I got 18/20. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spot-the-fake-smile/278555.md?page=2)