A genuine smile is also known as a Duchenne smile, named after a French Neurophysiologist from the early 1800s. It occurs when the lip corners move up and the muscle around the eyes (orbicularis oculi) moves as well. Oftentimes you see wrinkles around a person’s eyes. This is often described as a “twinkling” or “sparkling” in…
Read MoreApril Smile Challenge Winner
Thank you to the many people who submitted their best smiles for our April Smile Challenge! We’ve picked our winning smile picture that was submitted by “Arturo”. Here’s a guy who is smiling but clearly not because of enjoyment. Note the raising of the brows, stronger on the right side than the left, suggesting skepticism…
Read MoreFake Laughter
Like many aspects of human behavior, laughter is complicated. In a recent article for Time, Dr. Greg Bryant, an associate professor at UCLA outlines a study he conducted at his Vocal Communication Lab. There, he and his research team played recorded laughs to participants and asked them to distinguish whether the laugh was “real” or…
Read MoreWhen Getting Angry is Good
Bus drivers and bouncers face it with some frequency; so do counselors and psychologists; but call center employees are on the frontline. Do you ever get angry at them? Anger has been viewed as a negative emotion, unproductive and destructive – but what if this emotion is actually really good for you? This program will…
Read More