News Release

Smiling makes you look younger? Not according to a new Ben-Gurion University study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Smiling Makes You Look Younger? not So, Researchers Say

image: The researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and Western University in Canada conducted a series of experiments intended to gauge age perception based on facial expressions. Forty student participants were shown images of people and asked to rank them from oldest to youngest. They were shown pictures of smiling faces, neutral expressions and surprised looks. The participants ranked the smiling faces as the oldest, followed by neutral expressions, and surprised expressions as the youngest. view more 

Credit: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

BEER-SHEVA, Israel...May 11, 2017 - While conventional wisdom is that smiling makes you appear younger, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have scientifically proven otherwise.

According to the findings, published in the May 8th edition of Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, the researchers show for the first time that people flashing those pearly whites are perceived as older than those with a deadpan or surprised expression.

"Popular media promotes the idea that smiling makes you look younger," says Professor Tzvi Ganel, head of the Laboratory for Visual Perception and Action in BGU's Department of Psychology. "Look at all of the smiling faces in skincare and dental ads. How many of us post smiling faces on social media?"

The researchers conducted a series of experiments intended to gauge age perception based on facial expressions. Forty BGU student participants were shown images of people and asked to rank them from oldest to youngest. They were shown pictures of smiling faces, neutral expressions and surprised looks. The participants ranked the smiling faces as the oldest, followed by neutral expressions, and surprised expressions as the youngest.

What's more, when asked to recall their reactions after the experiment, study participants erroneously remembered identifying smiling faces as being younger than neutral ones.

"Ironically, we discovered that the same person can believe that smiling makes you appear younger and judge smiling faces older than neutral ones," says co-author Melvyn Goodale, director of the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University in Canada.

The researchers believe that smiling makes a person look older because of the wrinkle lines that form around the eyes. A surprised face, however, lifts and pulls the skin backward, smoothing any potential age-related wrinkles.

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About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more.

AABGU, headquartered in Manhattan, has nine regional offices throughout the United States. For more information visit https://aabgu.org/.


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