Smiling during conversations creates warmth, making people feel more comfortable and connected. For example, a friendly smile at a new meeting can relieve nervousness. A smile can ease tension in a debate and show respect between participants, despite disagreement. Extensive studies have been conducted in the past in an attempt to understand smile interactions in natural conversation. However, despite these studies, little is known about the extent to which the other person’s smile influences or is influenced by the other person’s smile during a conversation.
A new study attempted to investigate this by quantifying the influence of smiling in face-to-face conversations. The study, led by Professor Yohei Otaka of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Japan, found that the amount of smiling by the speaker increased as the listener’s smile intensity increased, especially in same-sex couples. The study also involved lead researchers Dr. Yota Obayashi, Dr. Shintaro Uehara and Dr. Akiko Yuasa from the same university. Their findings have been published in Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience on August 9, 2024.
The main aim of this study was to develop a methodology for assessing dementia symptoms, as affected individuals tend to lose their facial expressions. We also plan to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment in these individuals.“In addition, he says:”This study is actually the first step toward the larger goal mentioned above by evaluating people’s reactions to others’ smiles in young, healthy participants.“
Yohei Otaka, Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine
The study involved 40 participants (20 men and 20 women) in three-minute face-to-face conversations. During these interactions, the listeners were asked to smile at different levels – less, moderately and bigger – and in response the speakers’ smiles were observed. Specialized software was used to measure the intensity and frequency of smiles during the conversations.
The results showed that speakers smiled more when listeners smiled more, especially in conversations between two people of the same sex; men smiled more when they talked to other men who smiled, and women smiled more when they talked with other women who smiled. Interestingly, this effect was less pronounced in conversations between people of the same sex, indicating that individuals did not show the same level of mutual smiling as in conversations with same-sex partners. However, the researchers speculate that in mixed-sex couples, the speakers smiled more often than the listeners to build an interpersonal relationship.
Another key finding was that the more the listener smiled, the more positively the speaker felt about the interaction. Speakers reported feeling friendlier and enjoying the conversation more when their partner smiled often. This finding highlights the emotional importance of smiling in conversations, as it strengthens feelings of connection and rapport between individuals. Prof. Otaka further explains these findings: “If one person smiles more during a conversation, the other will also smile more, which can lead to a better interpersonal relationship with each other.“
Furthermore, the study found that smile synchronization occurred consistently across all types of couples, both same-sex and mixed-sex. This implies that regardless of who spoke to whom, people smiled at the same time, reinforcing that smiling is a reciprocal behavior.
In summary, the research shows that smiling is a powerful, dynamic part of face-to-face conversations. Speakers’ smiles are influenced by how much and how intensely the listener laughs, especially in same-sex conversations. Also, smile synchronization is essential in creating social bonds and nurturing positive feelings during interactions.
These findings highlight the importance of nonverbal communication, especially facial expressions, in everyday conversations. Furthermore, this study suggests that the interaction between two individuals may be useful in assessing dementia and psychological dysfunctions.
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Magazine reference:
Obayashi, Y., et al. (2024) The extent to which the other person smiles influences the smile response during face-to-face conversations. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience. doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1420361.