“Hey, Are You Smiling?” Recognizing A Smile As An Essential Tool For Positive Communication
Recognizing a smile as an essential tool for positive communication
Soumen Mukherjee
Department of English School of Social Sciences & Languages Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore Tamil Nadu, India 632014
Keywords: Communication Style, Normal Environments, Non-verbal Communication, Confirmatory Emotions, Optimistic Ambience
Abstract
A smile is unquestionably a vital component of a confirmatory emotion, which has a comprehensive impact on our overall well-being. It creates reliance, diminishes misapprehension, and disperses ambivalence. Although research on the overall effects of smiles on the psyche of human beings has been conducted at large, less enquiry has been made into the subservient visage of smiling. The current research endeavours to showcase the importance of a smile as an indispensable element for positive communication. The primary data is based upon the researchers' observations of the impact of a smile on people’s communication style, typically within normal environments, to ascertain dependable behaviour. A thematic analysis has been used to detect, explore and find the outcome through secondary materials like research papers, articles, newspapers and interviews to understand the influence of this particular non-verbal communication. The research proves that positive communication relies on confirmatory emotions, which require us to be self-assured in our day-to-day verbal interactions. If we smile recurrently, we create an optimistic ambience, which promotes open communication and an unmediated tenderness between people. A smile acts as a contrivance to convey liking and approachability, which creates a sense of fellow-feeling.
References
Abel, E. L., & Kruger, M. L. (2009). Mortality salience of birthdays on the day of death in the major leagues. Death Studies, 33(2), 175-184.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180802138936
Abel, E. L., & Kruger, M. L. (2010). Smile intensity in photographs predicts longevity. Psychological Science, 21(4), 542-544.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610363775
Bachorowski, J.-A., Smoski, M. J., & Owren, M. J. (2001). The acoustic features of human laughter. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 110(3), 1581–1597.
https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1391244
Bargh, J. A., & Chartrand, T. L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American Psychologist, 54(7), 462-479.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.54.7.462
Bijlsma-Frankema, K., & Klein Woolthuis, R. (2005). Trust under pressure: Trust and trust building in uncertain circumstances. Trust under Pressure.
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781845427962.00005
Bowlby, R. L., & Easterlin, R. A. (1969). Population, labor force, and long swings in economic growth: The American experience. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 23(1), 126.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2521981
Bossé, R., Aldwin, C. M., Levenson, M. R., Workman-Daniels, K., & Et al. (1990). Differences in social support among retirees and workers: Findings from the normative aging study. Psychology and Aging, 5(1), 41-47.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0882-7974.5.1.41
Brannigan, C., & Humphries, D. (1970). I see what you mean. International Journal of Early Childhood, 2(2).
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03176183
Bugental, D. B. (1986). Unmasking the "Polite smile". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 12(1), 7-16.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167286121001
Centorrino, S., Djemai, E., Hopfensitz, A., Milinski, M., & Seabright, P. (2015). A model of smiling as a costly signal of cooperation opportunities. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 1(3), 325-340.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-015-0026-4
Cohn, J. F., Campbell, S. B., & Ross, S. (1991). Infant response in the still-face paradigm at 6 months predicts avoidant and secure attachment at 12 months. Development and Psychopathology, 3(4), 367-376.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579400007574
Cross, M. P., Acevedo, A. M., Leger, K. A., & Pressman, S. D. (2022). How and why could smiling influence physical health? A conceptual review. Health Psychology Review, 17(2), 321-343.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2022.2052740
Daniel John K.J. (2019). The Impact of Smile on Human Interactions: A Psychological Perspective. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 7(1), 1005-1009.
DIP:18.01.115/20190701, DOI:10.25215/0701.1
Darwin, C., & Sheppard, N. (1884). Darwinism was stated by Darwin himself. Characteristic passages from the writings of Charles Darwin.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.56292
Deutsch, F. M., LeBaron, D., & Fryer, M. M. (1987). What is in a smile? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11(3), 341-352.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1987.tb00908.x
Deutsch, F. M. (1990). Status, sex, and smiling. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16(3), 531–540.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167290163011
Diamond, L. M. (2003). What does sexual orientation Orient? A biobehavioral model distinguishing romantic love and sexual desire. Psychological Review, 110(1), 173-192.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295x.110.1.173
Drahota, A., Costall, A., & Reddy, V. (2008). The vocal communication of different kinds of smiles. Speech Communication, 50(4), 278-287.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2007.10.001
Dunbar, R., & Mehu, M. (2008). Naturalistic observations of smiling and Laughter in human group interactions. Behaviour, 145(12), 1747-1780.
https://doi.org/10.1163/156853908786279619
Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. (1989). Familiarity, xenophobia, and group selection. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12(3), 523-523.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00057381
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1982). Felt, false, and miserable smiles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 6(4), 238-252.
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00987191
Ekman, P. (1992). Are there basic emotions? Psychological Review, 99(3), 550-553.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295x.99.3.550
Ekman, P., Friesen, W. V., & O'sullivan, M. (2005). Smiles when lying. What the Face Reveals: Basic and Applied Studies of Spontaneous Expression Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), 201-215.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179644.003.0010
The Evolution of Emotional Expression: A ‘Selfish Gene’ Account of Smiling and Laughter in Early Hominids and Humans. (2001). In T. Mayne & G. A. Bonanno (Eds.), Emotions: Current issues and future directions (pp. 152-91). Guilford Press.
Finan, P. H., & Garland, E. L. (2015). The role of positive affect in pain and its treatment. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 31(2), 177-187.
https://doi.org/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000092
Fletcher, G. J., Tither, J. M., O’Loughlin, C., Friesen, M., & Overall, N. (2004). Warm and homely or cold and beautiful? sex differences in trading off traits in mate selection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(6), 659–672.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203262847
Frank, M. G., Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (2005). Behavioral markers and recognizability of the smile of enjoyment. What the Face Reveals: Basic and Applied Studies of Spontaneous Expression Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), 217-239.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179644.003.0011
Fridlund, A. J. (1994). Emotions versus behavioral ecology views of facial expression: The state of the evidence. Human Facial Expression, 140-186.
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-267630-7.50013-7
Friesen, W. V., & Danner, D. D. (2012). Is the smile trustworthy? PsycCRITIQUES, 57(22).
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028438
Gaudino, C., Canova, R., Duca, M., Silvaggi, N., & Gaudino, P. (2021). Optimizing training and performance. Management of Track and Field Injuries, 349-362.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60216-1_33
Gefen, D. (2013). Psychology of trust: New research. Nova Science Publishers.
Girard, J. M., Shandar, G., Liu, Z., Cohn, J. F., Yin, L., & Morency, L. (2019). Reconsidering the Duchenne smile: Indicator of positive emotion or artifact of smile intensity?
https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/z2jvd
Gorvett, Z. (2017, April 10). There are 19 types of smiles, but only six are for happiness.
Haakana, M. (2010). Laughter and smiling: Notes on Co-occurrences. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(6), 1499-1512.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.01.010
Hall, J. A., & Xing, C. (2014). The verbal and nonverbal correlates of the five flirting styles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 39(1), 41–68.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8
Hardy, K. R. (1964). An appetitional theory of sexual motivation. Psychological Review, 71(1), 1–18.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0047158
Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. L. (1987). Passionate love/sexual desire: Can the same paradigm explain both? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 16(3), 259-278.
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01541613
Heerey, E. A., & Crossley, H. M. (2013). Predictive and reactive mechanisms in smile reciprocity. Psychological Science, 24(8), 1446-1455.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612472203
Hecht, M. A., & LaFrance, M. (1998). License or obligation to smile: The effect of power and sex on amount and type of smiling. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24(12), 1332-1342.
https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672982412007
Hennig-Thurau, T., Houston, M. B., & Sridhar, S. (2006). Can good marketing carry a bad product? Evidence from the motion picture industry. Marketing Letters, 17(3), 205-219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-006-7416-0
Heerey, E. A., & Crossley, H. M. (2013). Predictive and reactive mechanisms in smile reciprocity. Psychological Science, 24(8), 1446-1455.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612472203
Hess, U., & Bourgeois, P. (2010). You smile–I smile: Emotional expression in social interaction. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 514-520.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.11.001
Hess, U., Houde, S., & Fischer, A. (2014). Do we mimic what we see or what we know? Collective Emotions, 94-107.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199659180.003.0007
Knapp, M. L., & Daly, J. A. (2002). Handbook of Interpersonal Communication. In undefined. SAGE.
Kraus, M. W., & Chen, T. D. (2013). A winning smile? Smile intensity, physical dominance, and fighter performance. Emotion, 13(2), 270-279.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030745
Kraut, R. E., & Johnston, R. E. (1979). Social and emotional messages of smiling: An ethological approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(9), 1539-1553.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.37.9.1539
Krumhuber, E., Manstead, A. S., & Kappas, A. (2006). Temporal aspects of facial displays in person and expression perception: The effects of smile dynamics, head-tilt, and gender. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 31(1), 39-56.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-006-0019-x
Lakin, J. L., Jefferis, V. E., Cheng, C. M., & Chartrand, T. L. (2003). Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 27(3), 145-162.
https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1025389814290
Lau, S. (1982). The effect of smiling on person perception. The Journal of Social Psychology, 117(1), 63-67.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1982.9713408
Lewis, Arthur. (2005). African American Studies Center.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.421415
Matsumoto, D., Frank, M. G., & Hwang, H. S. (2013). Nonverbal communication: Science and applications: Science and applications. SAGE.
McCroskey, J. C., Sallinen, A., Fayer, J. M., Richmond, V. P., & Barraclough, R. A. (1996). Nonverbal immediacy and cognitive learning: A cross‐cultural investigation. Communication Education, 45(3), 200–211.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529609379049
McCroskey, L. L., McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (2005a). Applying organizational orientations theory to employees of profit and non-profit organizations. Communication Quarterly, 53(1), 21–40.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01463370500055889
McLellan, T. M., & Lieberman, H. R. (2012). Do energy drinks contain active components other than caffeine? Nutrition Reviews, 70(12), 730-744.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00525.x
Messinger, D. S., Cassel, T. D., Acosta, S. I., Ambadar, Z., & Cohn, J. F. (2008). Infant smiling dynamics and perceived positive emotion. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 32(3), 133–155.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-008-0048-8
Mueser, K. T., Grau, B. W., Sussman, S., & Rosen, A. J. (1984). You're only as pretty as you feel: Facial expression as a determinant of physical attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(2), 469-478.
https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.46.2.469
Niedenthal, P. M., Mermillod, M., Maringer, M., & Hess, U. (2010). The simulation of smiles (SIMS) model: Embodied simulation and the meaning of facial expression. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33(6), 417-433.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x10000865
Niedenthal, P. M., Rychlowska, M., Wood, A., & Zhao, F. (2018). Heterogeneity of long-history migration predicts smiling, Laughter, and positive emotion across the globe and within the United States.
https://doi.org/10.1101/317289
Obayashi, Y., Uehara, S., Yuasa, A., & Otaka, Y. (2024). The other person’s smiling amount affects one’s smiling response during face-to-face conversations. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 18.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1420361
Ochs, M., Niewiadomski, R., Brunet, P., & Pelachaud, C. (2011). Smiling virtual agent in a social context. Cognitive Processing, 13(S2), 519-532.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-011-0424-x
Porter, S., Ten Brinke, L., & Wallace, B. (2011). Secrets and lies: Involuntary leakage in deceptive facial expressions as a function of emotional intensity. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 36(1), 23-37.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-011-0120-7
Quadflieg, S., Vermeulen, N., & Rossion, B. (2013). Differential reliance on the Duchenne marker during smile evaluations and person judgments. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 37(2), 69-77.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-013-0147-z
Roffey, S. (2011). Positive relationships: Evidence-based practice across the world. Springer Science & Business Media.
Ruys, K. I., & Stapel, D. A. (2008). Emotion elicitor or emotion Messenger? Psychological Science, 19(6), 593-600.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02128.x
Malatesta, C., Davis, J., & Culver, C. (1984). Emotion in the infant voice. Infant Behavior and Development, 7, 229.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0163-6383(84)80291-x
McCroskey, L. L., McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (2005). Applying organizational orientations theory to employees of profit and non-profit organizations. Communication Quarterly, 53(1), 21–40.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01463370500055889
Mehu, M., & Dunbar, R. I. (2008). Relationship between smiling and Laughter in humans (Homo sapiens): Testing the power asymmetry hypothesis. Folia Primatologica, 79(5), 269-280.
https://doi.org/10.1159/000126928
Mermillod, M., Bonin, P., & Niedenthal, P. (2010). Emotions et integration Sensorimotrice. Posturologie clinique Tonus, posture et attitude, 17-33.
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-2-294-70943-2.50003-2
Riggio, R., & Riggio, H. (2012). Face and body in motion. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance, 425-430.
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-384925-0.00068-7
Setyawan, A., Anandya, D., & Renada Fulongga, F. (2018). A message behind a smile: How facial expression supports communication in marketing. Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Management (INSYMA 2018).
https://doi.org/10.2991/insyma-18.2018.45
Sexual attraction. (2025, May 17). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sexual_attraction
Strathearn, L., Li, J., Fonagy, P., & Montague, P. R. (2008). What's in a smile? Maternal brain responses to infant facial cues. Pediatrics, 122(1), 40-51.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-1566
Stearns, D. C., & Parrott, W. G. (2012). When feeling bad makes you look good: Guilt, shame, and person perception. Cognition and Emotion, 26(3), 407-430.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2012.675879
Tracy, S. J. (2013). Positive communication in health and wellness. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(3), 279-280.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.831468
Thornton, G. R. (1943). The effect upon judgments of personality traits of varying a single factor in a photograph. The Journal of Social Psychology, 18(1), 127-148.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1943.9921704
Todorov, A., & Duchaine, B. (2008). Reading trustworthiness in faces without recognizing faces. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 25(3), 395-410.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02643290802044996
Tracy, J. L., & Beall, A. T. (2011). Happy guys finish last: The impact of emotional expressions on sexual attraction. Emotion, 11(6), 1379-1387.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022902
Van der Geld, P., Oosterveld, P., Van Heck, G., & Kuijpers-Jagtman, A. M. (2007). Smile attractiveness. The Angle Orthodontist, 77(5), 759-765.
https://doi.org/10.2319/082606-349
What Do Smiles Mean? An Analysis in Terms of Differential Emotions Theory. (2002). In M. H. Abel (Ed.), An empirical reflection on the smile (pp. 83-110). Edwin Mellen; New York.












