Body Language of Friendly Smile
Cue: Friendly Smile.
Synonym(s): Tight-Lipped Smile With High Intensity.
Description: The Friendly Smile (or Tight-lipped smile with high intensity) is a variation of the Polite Smile (or tight-lipped smile with low intensity). In the friendly smile, however, the corners of the lips rise even further with some teeth showing. The lips are slightly separated, the corners of the mouth are upturned, gaze is steady and warm, and the posture is relaxed.
In One Sentence: The friendly smile is a greeting gesture between acquaintances.
How To Use it: Use the friendly smile when you want to show others that you are open and honest, but are not intimate or close. Contrary to popular belief, one should not always use a full open Duchenne smile. In fact, the friendly smile is the correct smile when meeting with people with which you are not closely affiliated. Using the friendly smile tells them that you correctly understand your relationship. A smile that is too intimate, in other words, can be seen as being dishonest and insincere and therefore create distrust and suspicion. Whatever the situation, be sure to use the appropriate body language.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m open and warm to your presence, but I’m not letting my guard down. The best you get from me is a smile that lacks true warmth. This is generated by contractions of the muscles at the corners of my eyes.”
Variant: See Smiling, Fear Smile, Friendly Smile, Frown (the) or Downturned Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile, Jaw Drop Smile, Nervous Smile, Polite Smile (the), Uneven Smile Or Lopsided Smile, Upper Lip Smile, Artificial Smile or Fake Smile, Nervous Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile.
Cue In Action: The coworkers shared a friendly smile as they passed each other in the cafeteria.
Meaning and/or Motivation: The friendly smile appears when meeting new acquaintances, therefore, the friendly smile it’s not a full “honest smile.” It does, however, show openness to others. The tight-lipped smile with high intensity is more appropriate for acquaintances because a full smile is reserved for our friends and family.
In new company, the full honest smile has the reverse effect and appears insincere. A full smile around new people would lead them to think “What’s that guy’s problem, he’s grinning like we were the best of friends, yet we just met!” So while we may think that the honest smile is the best smile with the best results, it is not so. Appearing honest and trustworthy is a valued goal, however, at times it causes undesired results. Thus, there are times when flashing a simple friendly smile will create the type of interaction we desire.
Cue Cluster: Expect a mixture of open and closed body language showing an overall timidity. Therefore you might see the hands in the pockets most of the time, but they might be removed during gesticulation. The head might be upright with eye contact intermixed with head lowered and eye contact avoidance. This shows that a person is not totally ready to move to the friendship level, but isn’t rejecting friendship either.
Body Language Category: Appease, Nonthreatening body language, Open facial gestures.
Resources:
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