# Spot the fake smile **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329 "2004-02-09T21:29:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/41 "2004-02-12T01:14:44Z")
Incidentally, if you go to the [Emotions Revealed](http://www.emotionsrevealed.com) or [Paul Ekman](http://www.paulekman.com) web sites, you can find some more information on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/42 "2004-02-12T02:18:48Z")
I got 13 out of 20. I think it was because I too was distracted by the two hotties in the middle of the list. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/43 "2004-02-12T03:40:02Z")
19 out of 20. I missed #19. I’m still not convinced I was WRONG on that one, either. It’s all in the eyes and the eyebrows. You can fake crinkly corners if you try hard enough, but there’s some subtle eyebrow thing that happens with the real thing. The two of them together are the key for me. ---
**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/44 "2004-02-12T03:57:12Z")
14/20. And: > [@Yamirskoonir](#): > > 14 out of 20. > > Not my fault-! I was distracted by guy #6, HEL-lo hottie! How 'bout your piercings meet my piercings? 😃 AMEN! ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/45 "2004-02-12T08:28:29Z")
10/20…ack. I tended to label more genuine as fakes, though, I guess I’m just too much of a skeptic. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/46 "2004-02-12T14:24:01Z")
14/20 The majority of the wrong ones- I said Fake. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/47 "2004-02-12T14:43:26Z")
Wow! 18/20 I was expecting to suck out loud. I am _so not_ a people person. What was the education/employment quiz at the start for? Are they saving the results for a survey? ---
**Author:** ![Mizzkyttie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mizzkyttie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mizzkyttie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/48 "2004-02-12T14:55:56Z")
13/20. Could’a been worse, I suppose. I was also one of those who got distracted by the really rrrowrl-worthy ones towards the middle, there. (Yes, yes, I know, excuses, excuses…) ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/49 "2004-02-12T15:43:57Z")
17/20. I thought three genuines were fakes, and I was wavering on those three. My profession has made me distrustful, apparently. It’s all about the eyes for me. If people smile with their mouths but not their eyes, it’s fake. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/50 "2004-02-13T03:11:51Z")
15/20 No excuses except i’m a good guesser. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/51 "2004-02-13T08:13:19Z")
> [@Jean Grey](#): > > Yes, the key was to look at the eyes, not the mouth. There’s a muscle under/around the eye that contracts in a real smile, which I have learned to isolate, so now I can “fake” a “real” smile, and even fake a “smiling with only the eyes” type thing. This is the method I used. I also go 19 out of 20. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/52 "2004-02-13T13:15:48Z")
12 out of 20. Hah! You guys may congratulate yourself on knowing the difference, but \*\*\*I \* \*\* am surrounded by nice people who like me! I do qualify as an extreme optimist. Maybe that has something to do with it :sigh: ---
**Author:** ![Hvirfilvindr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8baadc/32.png) [@Hvirfilvindr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hvirfilvindr)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/53 "2004-02-13T14:39:49Z")
16 out of 20. I whiffed on 8, 13, 14 and 15. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/54 "2004-02-13T15:30:42Z")
15 out of 20. Then I went and tried one of their “Face Perception” tests where you see two nearly identical faces (they looked like they were morphed with other people to slightly change certain features) and choose which face you prefer of the two. I was at a loss for what to do if I thought they were all butt-ugly. So I did the best I could and I get to the end of the test and it gives me a “?” for the results. Ok. . . . ---
**Author:** ![emulsified](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emulsified/32/2915_2.png) [@emulsified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emulsified)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329/55 "2004-02-13T21:12:51Z")
15 of 20–it was something about the eyes and what happened when they stopped smiling, the recovery, if you will. Then I went on and took the “disgust” test and was exposed to the most vile image I think I’ve ever seen. In the summary it’s described thusly: > [@](#): > > The gums infected with maggots pose a clear disease threat. We’re guessing you wouldn’t want to share a can of beer with this man. Thank you, BBC, thank you very much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-the-fake-smile/228329.md?page=2)