Does smiling make you more trustworthy?
Genuine smiles, which engage specific facial muscles such as the orbicularis oculi (the muscle responsible for blinking) and the zygomatic muscle (which lifts the corners of the mouth), are perceived as more trustworthy than polite social smiles (also known as fake smiles).
What is a smile? It is a facial expression in which the corners of the mouth turn up, gently revealing the front teeth. It serves as an important communication tool and tends to convey positive, cheerful emotions. That is perhaps why hardly anyone dislikes seeing a soft, sweet and charming smile.
A smile serves as an important communication tool.
The link between smiling and trust
Prehistoric humans lived in groups, and the stronger a group (or tribe) was, the better its chances of survival. A simple way to strengthen and stabilize a group was to build trust among its members, so that each person carried out their role well. Smiling is what built this trust. It signaled to other members of the group that a person had no intention of harming them. Today, among friends and family, people who smile often are trusted more than those who don't smile.
A recent study even found that gender can also affect the relationship between trust and smiling. According to the findings, women who smile often appear more trustworthy than men who do the same.
However, it is worth noting that you cannot become more trustworthy simply by smiling more. In fact, many people find someone who smiles too much creepy. The explanation is that how you smile also matters a great deal. A smile has to look genuine, not fake, to win other people's trust.
A genuine, trust-building smile happens instinctively, not deliberately.
A genuine smile, also called an honest or true smile, is one that happens naturally. Such smiles are characterized by the use of specific facial muscles, namely the orbicularis oculi (the muscle responsible for blinking) and the zygomatic muscle (which lifts the corners of the mouth).
Put simply, a genuine, trust-building smile happens instinctively, not deliberately. When someone gives us a smile like that, we warmly smile back.
The opposite of a genuine smile is the social smile. This is the kind many people use in social encounters. When we meet someone we don't like, or run into an ex we would rather forget, we smile out of politeness rather than happiness. Such smiles are forced and unnatural.
How trustworthy is a smile?
As mentioned, the way we smile is very important for gaining other people's trust. However, the rest of our body language matters just as much.
Research shows that if your eyes are red and signal anger while you smile, you will seem less trustworthy. Likewise, if your body language does not signal friendliness while you smile, the smile will not be trusted either. A classic example is the clown in the movie "IT". Although the character smiles from the beginning of the film to the end, he is never someone you could trust.
The clown in the movie "IT" smiles throughout the film but is never someone you could trust.
Conversely, if you smile with friendly eyes and a cheerful face, you will appear far more trustworthy. Some people always come across as friendly and approachable when dealing with others. This is thanks to their pleasant faces and friendly smiles.
So smiling can make you look more trustworthy and friendly. However, how you smile is also very important. The happier a person's expression, the more trustworthy they seem, and the more friendly and warm they come across.
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