Smile Experiment Assignment

This study reveals the significance of facial expressions as a means of social interaction. The research hypothesis was if I smile to 10 people, then more than 5 people will smile back to me.

Running head: SMILE EXPERIMENT ASSIGNMENT 1
Smile experiment assignment
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Abstract
Smile can make someone hope about humanity, change their day and make them get over
negative experience. When someone smiles, they create positive experience for themselves.
Smiling makes the brain produce happiness hormones known as endorphins (Dimberg, 2012).
The study conducted at the streets and at the bus station to show varying facial expressions when
you smile to strangers. The prediction was that when you smile to strangers they will
automatically respond with a smile. Research shows that when you see someone you know or do
not know you smiling to you, you give exchange an insightful smile. Some people give back a
fake smile which can also help them overcome stressful situations although to get most benefits
from smile it should be genuine (Dimberg, Thunberg, & Elmehed, 2010).
The reactions one get after smiling to strangers reveal a lot. They may be covering up
pain, rage or embarrassment but sometimes they may be sincere. Regardless of what is
underneath the expression one gets after smiling to others, a smile can make them feel better
(Ekman, 2019). Various studies found that smile boost mood, improve relationship, bring
happiness, and reduces blood pressure (Frith, 2016). Hence this research could help people with
life problems as it makes some smile. The purpose of the study is to reveal the significance of
facial expressions as a means of social interaction. The research hypothesis was if I smile to 10
people, then more than 5 people will smile back to me.
Method
The day began regularly. I did not feel like smiling while walking in the streets but I tried
my best to do so. I knew people were not expecting anyone to lock eyes with them and give them
a smile hence it was a naturalistic observation. Smiling at people at the streets was difficult as

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some were busy walking. I used this approach, to look at people then before smiling I ensured I
created eye contact. Some people looked on their phones screens and could walk without making
eye contact with them.
Afterwards I was able to catch a few smiles on the streets. Some people would catch my
smile and return it. The study was done on Saturday hence I engaged people with different ages
and social status. At the streets the first participant I managed to create eye contact was a taxi
driver whose age seemed to be 40-50 years. I smile and he smiled back inviting me for a ride. I
kept moving I met a young man on work uniform and I smiled he blinked his eye to me. His age
was around 27-30 years. I smiled to a lady who was carrying a baby and she smiled as she
looked on another side to avoid eye contact with me. She then pretended to be smiling to her
baby. She seemed to be between 20-25 years old. I also smiled to a lady who was selling
vegetables which appeared to have stayed for long time in the market. She responded with a
frown face and started talking words which I could not hear clearly. She seemed to be 35-40
years old. I smiled at ladies who were taking photographs at the streets. They seemed to be busy
posing but after I created eye contact and smiled to one of them she laughed and tried to hide.
The second phase of the study was easier as some people had boarded the vehicle and
were idling as they waited their buses to depart. I smiled to a man who smiled back and asked if I
knew him and turned around to make sure if he was the one I was smiling to. I smiled to a man
who seemed to be of high social status. He looked uncomfortable and was looking at his watch
asking when the vehicle will leave. He smiled back and stopped complaining and made a phone
call. I smiled to a young child whose mother was busy paying her ticket and she just stared at
me. I smiled to the driver and he said the bus will be leaving in the next 10 minutes while

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smiling. He seemed to be around 35 years old. I smiled to a grant mother who was drinking soda
and she smiled back and stopped taking the soda.
Results
Smile Blinking eye Laughing angry No reaction
6 1 1 1 1
Participant Estimated age gender Facial expression
Taxi driver 40-50 years Male smiling
Worker on uniform 27-30 years Male Blinking one eye
Lady carrying a baby 20-25 years female smiled
Vegetable seller 35-40 years female frowned
Lady taking photos 23-28 years female Laughed
Travellor 30-35 years male smiled
Travellor 40-45 years male smiled

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Child 6-10 years female No reaction
Driver 35 years male smiled
Grand mother 60-70 years female smiled
As predicted, after smiling at 10 different people those who smile back where six thus the
results were statistically enough to accept the hypothesis. There were some difficulties in
obtaining the results because some people where busy. From the experience, I can make the
general assumption that facial expression helps in social interaction as most of those who
reciprocated wanted to interact with me. If someone would want to continue with this study they
would have to try interacting with the people and learn what made them reciprocate positively or
negatively (Heuer, Rinck, & Becker, 2017). This could improve the accuracy of the data. They
can also send different researchers then compare their results rather than depending on one
source in making conclusions.
The limitations of the study are that the respondents who tried talking to me felt like I
was ignoring them as I did not respond. Further studies could be done by allowing one to
interact with them. Another limitation is that one needs to create eye contact before smiling
which might be hard for some people to create (Schmidt, & Cohn, 2011).
References

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Dimberg, U., Thunberg, M., & Elmehed, K. (2010). Unconscious facial reactions to emotional
facial expressions. Psychological science, 11(1), 86-89.
Ekman, P. (2019). Facial expressions. Handbook of cognition and emotion, 16(301), e320.
Dimberg, U. (2012). Facial reactions to facial expressions. Psychophysiology, 19(6), 643-647.
Frith, C. (2016). Role of facial expressions in social interactions. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1535), 3453-3458.
Heuer, K., Rinck, M., & Becker, E. S. (2017). Avoidance of emotional facial expressions in
social anxiety: The approach–avoidance task. Behaviour research and therapy, 45(12),
2990-3001.
Schmidt, K. L., & Cohn, J. F. (2011). Human facial expressions as adaptations: Evolutionary
questions in facial expression research. American Journal of Physical Anthropology: The
Official Publication of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 116(S33),
3-24.