Behavioral researcher Paula Niedenthal was on the phone with a Russian reporter, talking about her research on facial expressions.

“At the end he said, ‘So you are American?’ ” Dr. Niedenthal recalled.

Indeed, she is, although she was then living in France, where she had taken a post at Blaise Pascal University.

“So you know,” the Russian reporter informed her, “that American smiles are all false, and French smiles are all true.”

“Wow, it’s so interesting that you say that,” Dr. Niedenthal said diplomatically. Meanwhile, she was imagining what it would have been like to spend most of her life surrounded by fake smiles.

No wonder sitcoms are so popular! Actors, at least, know how to fake a real smile.

Drop me a line at rjk@dailyblague.com
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 at 6:00 pm.