Smile.

[CrossLOPER]

Can you tell which one is real?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/funny_pages_20/2008/05/spot-the-fake-s.html
The link to the quiz is at the bottom of the article. :)

[Kekvit Irae]

You got 14 out of 20 correct

The eyes are the primary giveaway for me.

Most people are surprisingly bad at spotting fake smiles. One possible explanation for this is that it may be easier for people to get along if they don't always know what others are really feeling.

Although fake smiles often look very similar to genuine smiles, they are actually slightly different, because they are brought about by different muscles, which are controlled by different parts of the brain.

Fake smiles can be performed at will, because the brain signals that create them come from the conscious part of the brain and prompt the zygomaticus major muscles in the cheeks to contract. These are the muscles that pull the corners of the mouth outwards.

Genuine smiles, on the other hand, are generated by the unconscious brain, so are automatic. When people feel pleasure, signals pass through the part of the brain that processes emotion. As well as making the mouth muscles move, the muscles that raise the cheeks – the orbicularis oculi and the pars orbitalis – also contract, making the eyes crease up, and the eyebrows dip slightly.

Lines around the eyes do sometimes appear in intense fake smiles, and the cheeks may bunch up, making it look as if the eyes are contracting and the smile is genuine. But there are a few key signs that distinguish these smiles from real ones. For example, when a smile is genuine, the eye cover fold - the fleshy part of the eye between the eyebrow and the eyelid - moves downwards and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.

Scientists distinguish between genuine and fake smiles by using a coding system called the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), which was devised by Professor Paul Ekman of the University of California and Dr Wallace V. Friesen of the University of Kentucky.

[woad&fangs]

12/20

I knew that the creases around the eyes were the giveaway but I still didn't do great.

[Motep]

I suck...

9

[Csargo]

You got 14 out of 20 correct

[Moros]

15/20 here.

[Craterus]

I got 18.

[Whacker]

16/20. Chatbot pwnt me by two!

[Rhyfelwyr]

10 yay I'm crap.

[Tristuskhan]

13, not so bad since I did not understand these were movies before the eighth one:shame:

[The Stranger]

ive did this one and the other tests before... dunno my score but i know i had the last 10 all correct

[Thermal]

omg number 7 was scary, and 13 ooks like they came bk from the dead, no offense obviously, i only scored 10

[KukriKhan]

15 of 20. My 5 mis-reads were all fakes that I picked as genuine.

My non-scientific conclusion: I'm overly-optimistic about people's intent. (Big surprise - not). :)

A German woman once told me: "Sometimes, a smile is just another way of baring your teeth." LOL.

[Veho Nex]

13/20

[Viking]

11/20

[Hosakawa Tito]

13/20 for me. I thought I recognized the name of the psychologist,Paul Ekman (http://www.paulekman.com/currentprojects.html), in this test. I participated in a facinating training on interrogation techniques called microburst facial expressions, I believe there was also a program on the Discovery Channel about it last year. This Paul Ekman is a leading researcher in this field. Here's a link. The Science of Sniffing Out Liars. (http://discovermagazine.com/2008/aug/28-the-science-of-sniffing-out-liars)

[Martok]

I got 17 out of 20, which is better than I thought I would do.

2 of my 3 misreads were genuine smiles I thought were fake, which makes sense given that I have a slightly more pessimistic view on life. Also, 2 of my 3 misreads were men, which is ironic given that I've never fully understood women.

[Legosoldier]

11/20

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Cool test. :2thumbsup:

I got 15 / 20 the first time. I took three fake smiles for genuine, of which were 2 from women (the blonde no. 3 and the Asian girl. The Asian was obvious for me the second time but the blonde is a tough cookie. I can't really see through her), and 2 genuine smiles for fake which were both from men. That says about me that I'm an easy victim for women's charme I guess... The second attempt I scored 18 of 20, both times taking genuine smiles I had correct and that I felt and even remotely remembered they were genuine for fake because I only looked at the eyes as was told in the summary.

[Craterus]

Still the champ... ~:)