Spot the Fake Smile

[Lemur]

I guess it's quiz day. The BBC has a cool online test where you view a selection of real and fake smiles, and try to tell the difference. You also get to view quite a few sets of British teeth. Need I say more?

I figured I'd be good at it, since I'm pretty accurate at reading people, but then I figured that everybody imagines they're good at it, so I decided I would suck.

Much to my surprise, I got 19 of 20 correct. Give it a shot!

[Csargo]

You got 12 out of 20 correct

[Motep]

Wow...I suck! 12 out of 20...

[JimBob]

17. Just watch the eyes and it's easy

[Incongruous]

16 out of 20.
Yeah, I know you.....

[CountArach]

14, but I got 13 out of the last 15 correct. Really easy once you figure it out.

[Lorenzo_H]

15 out of 20. Its the eyes.

[Warluster]

yeah! I got 18 out of 20 smiles right! Whoa!

[Mithrandir]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbo...ndex_13.shtml?

Scary

[Husar]

17

It was a combination of the feeling I got and the body movement, many of the genuine laughs include some shaking of the head because the whole body kind of laughs. It tried watching the eyes but to me eyes are eyes, they will keep their colour and that black hole in the middle, whether you fake or not.

[Stig]

8 out of 20, damned hard

[Dutch_guy]

15 out of 20 - think I could do better though.

[Warmaster Horus]

Meh, 10 on 20.

Also to note is the other very useful tests and quizes on the BBC's site. I once spent a whole afternoon checking it all out.

[KukriKhan]

9 of 20. It wasn't until face #15 that I figured out to push "play" to see the video. Duh! I thought they were just still pix, and thought "You call these smiles?!".

I am an idiot.

[Kagemusha]

I got 18 out of 20. I messed up with 3rd and 13th. I watched the eyes like i always do.

[Bijo]

16 out of 20. I'm aware I could've had them all right, if I hadn't been drinking these beers and paying better attention.

[Plebian#10]

13 out of 20 - better than I thought i would score.

[Kralizec]

11 out of 20 - I suck.

[Stig]

9 of 20. It wasn't until face #15 that I figured out to push "play" to see the video. Duh! I thought they were just still pix, and thought "You call these smiles?!".

*commits suicide*

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

There was a "play" button?

[seireikhaan]

12 out of 20, not so good. I did get 7 of the last 8, though. I had a similar problem to Kukri, although I figured it out by the 4th vid. One word to many of the folks in those vids: Braces!

[Dutch_guy]

There was a "play" button?

You're joking, right ?

[Stig]

You're joking, right ?

erhh no, I'll take the test again, maybe I'll do better now

10 out of 20, it's easier like this yes

[econ21]

19 out of 20. Number 11 escaped me, although reviewing it, I can't see why.

[Orb]

13. But then I got 12 out of the last 15.

[Slyspy]

17 for me.

[Quid]

You got 18 out of 20 correct

Definitely the eyes plus, perhaps, an healthy amount of intuition.

Quid

[71-hour Ahmed]

Spot The Fake Smile
Results
You got 16 out of 20 correct

Interesting, since I was focussing almost purely on the mouth. I can't read peoples eyes at all. Plus I got screwed on some as I double-clicked on play and couldn't watch the video at all (yes I'm an idiot).

Most people pull their lips back from their mouths with a genuine smile and move their head. If the lips stay together or they overbite them it generally isn't genuine. Or so I reckon.

[scotchedpommes]

Interesting, since I was focussing almost purely on the mouth. I can't read peoples eyes at all. Plus I got screwed on some as I double-clicked on play and couldn't watch the video at all (yes I'm an idiot).

Most people pull their lips back from their mouths with a genuine smile and move their head. If the lips stay together or they overbite them it generally isn't genuine. Or so I reckon.

N'mind, just saw the explanation under the results:

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.

[AntiochusIII]

17 out of 20. Not bad considering I'm going half from the eyes and half from my guts.

[Rodion Romanovich]

After the test it says it's difficult to recognize fake smiles... bollocks, I tells ya, I discovered all the fake smiles as well as a few fakes among the supposedly genuine smiles that not even the test maker discovered!