The 19 Types Of Smile, According To Duchenne De Boulogne

The first to intuit that there were different types of smile was a 19th century French doctor named Duchenne de Boulogne. At least that’s what we know. This man is considered one of the pioneers of neurology and an authority on smiles.

Over time, Duchenne de Boulogne’s basic findings have been fully validated. He was obsessed with the use of electricity for medical and therapeutic purposes. In particular, he focused on the study of motor expressions. One of the topics that he explored in depth was that of smile types.

During his investigations, he found a man who suffered from facial numbness. This allowed him to attach a good number of electrodes to her face, without causing any discomfort. In this way, he was able to identify the different muscle groups involved in facial expressions .

This is also how he was able to identify 19 different types of smile. Likewise, he was able to establish that only six of them are really authentic, that is, they truly reflect pleasure, joy or happiness. The others are smiles that express very different feelings, which include fear, anger, contempt, and several more. These are the most interesting.

Sad smile types

Although it may seem strange, sadness sometimes takes the form of a smile. There are several types of smile that reflect painful feelings and that are expressed in situations in which there is a positive element, compared to one or more negative ones. Some of these sad smiles are as follows:

• The miserable smile. The lips smile slightly asymmetrically, but there is a deep expression of sadness in the eyes. According to a study by the University of San Francisco, it is the typical smile of those who win the silver medal in the Olympic Games.
• The scared smile. Sometimes you smile out of fear. It occurs when someone feels helpless and smiles to show that they do not have hostile plans in front of the other. It is also the type of smile that is usually displayed before people considered to be of higher status.
• Lonely smile. It is a barely perceptible smile that is sometimes accompanied by a slight expression of sadness. Its main characteristic is that it only manifests itself when we are completely alone. It is not a shared smile.

Social smiles

Basically all smiles are social, but some have very specific roles in relationships with others. These are more or less calculated expressions, which always arise as a function of the others. Within this type of smile we find:

• The suppressed smile. It has to do with those kinds of smiles that are held back for some reason. It is a genuine expression of happiness, but it is considered inappropriate and therefore ends up holding back. In them, the muscular effort of containment is more visible than the smile itself.
• The fake smile. It is the typical polite smile we put on when we want to be nice to others, but we are not genuinely happy. Its main characteristic is that the corners of the lips are raised, but the eyes remain expressionless.
• The embarrassing smile. It is the kind of smile that occurs when we feel embarrassed. It is often accompanied by a slight tilt of the head and, many times, by blushing. In this case, laughter plays the role of trying to de-stress the situation.

• Flirtatious smile. It is a smile that has something insinuating and, therefore, enigmatic. Most of the time the eyes narrow slightly, showing a mischievous expression. Connoisseurs point out that the Mona Lisa is a perfect example of this smile.

Aggressive smiles

Among the types of smile that Duchenne de Boulogne discovered are also those that actually have a meaning completely opposite to the essence of smiling. They are expressions of rejection, contempt or even cruelty to others. Within this type of smile we find:

• Malicious smile. It is the one that arises when we rejoice in the evil of others, expressly. The other is clearly shown that his misfortune makes us happy. It is the typical smile of the villains.

• Smile of contempt. In this case, the smile is there, but the rest of the face shows anger. It occurs when, for example, we feel that someone has ridiculed us and others laugh.
• Qualifying smile. It is one that tries to make something that is obviously unpleasant more pleasant. Like that of the seller who tells you: “The promotion is sold out.”

There is also, of course, the “Duchenne smile”, which is the most genuine and the one that best corresponds to the essential meaning of a smile. It is characterized because not only the lips laugh, but the whole face, especially the eyes. It is the most authentic and also the most powerful.