Spot the fake smile
 

An interesting and inexplicably unsettling test to see how well you can identify a fake smile. At the end it includes an interesting description of the differences. I got 16 out of 20 correct:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbo...es/index.shtml

This is just one of a series of such tests, but I haven't had the few spare minutes to poke around the others yet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbo..._surveys.shtml

15 of 20:(

14

20 out of 20!

I had actually read about that in this book, which is about how baby's brains develop. Anyway. the gist of it is that real smiles are totally involuntary, and fake smiles are voluntary. The difference is that the muscles around the eyes move more in real smiles.

OK Juju, is this a real smile or not? :D

Oof. 12 of 20.

But I cry shenanigans! There were some fun-kay lookin british types in those animations. *cringe*

Shocking!

The difference is that the muscles around the eyes move more in real smiles.

Telling Lies is a good book for understanding the muscles in the face and how to tell a fake smile or frown from a real one.

For the smiles, its generally the crow's feet at the corners of the eyes -- there is a type that is impossible to generate unless you are really smiling due to an emotion, as you can't control those muscles voluntarily. Really neat stuff, but a little frightening when you start paying attention to people in your day to day activities.

14...I knew it was the eyes before I read the information at the end...you can just tell. Guess I wasn't as good as Juju, though. 20 large, eh? Well done!

10 of 20 ... but I blame the cheapass, cutrate, slower than a 56K modem DSL at work ... several of the clips didn't display properly so I didn't get to see them. Also, when it comes down to it, they were ALL fake. The experimental condition affects the test itself.

(But you gotta do the yucky things test ... EEEEEEEEUW!)

i got 18.
EDIT

I had originally linked in the pics of the two i got wrong and made very whitty comments about them. very whitty, indeed.

then my brain turned back on all by itslef, and i realized that i would foul up the scoring if i gave away the answers. Hope i dint mess you up, Whit.

      Damn, I got 19... Juju has overcome my ability to spot a false smile. Hmm... Maybe I just rushed to much...
      By the by, and correct me if I'm wrong on this, but aren't most emotions most obvious in the region of the eyes? I know if I want to know how someone is reacting to me I always reflexively look at their eyes...

this one is kinda cool too.


yup, that;s me. especially the part where i use peoples consciences against them.

      Umm ... What the? Was this a GWB quote or something?

      Anyway, I got 39, same as Jim. Not sure how I feel about that... He does work in a car dealership after all...

18 out of 20. Holy crap!! I thought I'd get like 3. I never knew I had super powers.

      Nope, I actually was doing the test when you posted. The one I missed was actually the same dude towards the end that you did. Of course, I spotted that fake smiling chic a mile away. The sad part was the one I thought I missed was the Asian chic. I wasn't watching for crows feet or anything, but I was less certain with her than with the others on the test. Still, got her right too.

      I just read Blue58's post. Isn't it interesting how much difference people expect? I mean I was a little disappointed that I missed one, Blue was exstatic over missing two.
      Oh yeah, and I want to take a cue from Wolf and cry foul over having an archaic computer. I didn't even know the clips were longer than two seconds for the first five people. System was to slow to show it all properly. Plus I'm to impatient to let it load completely before answering... Screw it. That dude fooled me. End of story. Bastard...

From the test Jimbo linked to:
I guess that makes me a slightly better person than he is, as measured by an anonymous group of British people, working for the BBC, who arbitrarily decide what constitutes good social reasoning and ethics. Woohoo! :D

actually, alan, i'm a little bit dissapointed in you. I almost posted that i expected nothing less than a 45 out of 44 from you. well, at least you have better teeth than they do!

19/20 I got the 17th one wrong, ( the guy with the goatie beard ). Its all in the eyes.
Karl Kraus (1781 - 1832)

Well, I intentionally threw some of the answers, as I habitually do... it's socially awkward when people realize that compared to me, they are a mental midget MBA. Speaking of me, who else has noticed what a handsome devil I am? Yow!

http://www.alanbellows.com/resume/images/photo.jpg

Finally!

hey alan, remember that employee of the month picture you did for me?

Yes, Jim. Yes I do.

Edit: By the way, I have previously posted a photo of myself.

holy shit. you look like kramer!? i cant wait to get home tonight.

*rubs hands together while grinning like a mental patient*

I got 35 out of 44. I can't believe I scored lower than Jim.

I need a vacation.

Yawn.

Heheheh. This could get ugly. Excellent.

see how you people are? JUST because I'm in the automotive industry, you ASSume that you must, therefore be more moral than I. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I am NOt your typical car guy. I've dedicated my life to increasing the average morality level of my chosen field. I'm like popeye. " I says what I means, and I means what i says."


:)

Plus, that test was pretty easy to cheat on.

Alan's sister:

Wow, Alan, your sister is pretty...but I still don't see the resemblance.

:D

I'd hit it.

That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life. Except for the 'sister' part.

No worries, they have nationalized health care to take care o...

You scored 34 out of a total of 44.


My Results
Your score puts you in the mature category of social reasoning and the majority of people will have scores in this range. Thinking here transcends the practicalities of one's preferences and exchanges to an emphasis upon social feeling, caring and conduct.

You take into account the consequences of actions for other people, whether for benefit or harm, as a consideration in its own right for deciding how one should act towards others. You emphasise relationships, thinking how you might feel if you were on the receiving end. Empathy is important, as well as compassion.

You are likely to expect others to conform to normally expected conduct, reflecting on "common decency" and will think of the chaos caused by laws being broken. You will value, love and respect others, and appreciate some higher values, as well as speaking of the benefits of a clean conscience or pride.

Where did THAT come from? I don't exactly respect laws.

That's the identical reply I got. I'm not the most lily-white guy you're likely to meet, either.


Got 17 on the smile thing, and can't shake the creeped-out feeling. It's the cumulative effect of 20 silent people staring directly at you.....then smiling. ew.

19 out of 20!! maybe i'm not an emotional idiot after all!

I got 13 on the smiles- noticed I was happily smiling back at them throughout the test.