“Accurate identification of a person’s age is crucial for understanding social roles and determining the nature of social interaction.”
The study found that for middle-aged people between the ages of 40 and 60, gender played a role in whether smiling altered the perceived age. Men in this age category appeared older when they smiled but for their female counterparts, smiling had no effect.
“Accurate identification of a person’s age is crucial for understanding social roles and determining the nature of social interaction.”
This may also be explained by a difference in smile-related wrinkles.
Researchers also suggested that it could be down to the gender differences in lifestyle and skin care that could affect facial wrinkling.
Mr Goodale said: “Not only do middle-aged men have more wrinkles than middle-aged women – the prominence of those wrinkles around the eyes increases more when middle-aged men smile than it does when middle-aged women smile.”
The findings suggest wrinkles around the eyes are a key cue for the perception of age.
“These findings are particularly relevant in the time of COVID-19 when so many people are wearing masks, leaving only our eyes visible,” added Mr Goodale.
The study was conducted with Tzvi Ganel from Ben-Gurion University in Israel and published in Scientific Reports. It follows a similar study undertaken in 2018 which also debunked the theory that smiling can take years off your appearance.
The same scientists published a paper saying that the belief “well-rooted in media” was “a complete misconception”. They said the misplaced belief was causing social media users to post ageing photos of themselves online.
Prof Ganel said: “Our results make it clear that the same person can believe that smiling makes one appear younger, but at the same time judge smiling faces as older than neutral faces.
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“Popular media promotes the idea that smiling makes you look younger: look at the smiling faces in skincare and dental ads. How many of us post smiling faces on social media?”
The results contradict a 2011 study, published in Psychology and Aging, in which the participants guessed the ages of people who were smiling as being two years younger than the same individuals photographed with other expressions.
The Telegraph, London
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Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au
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