You’ve probably heard the claim that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It’s usually framed as a feel-good reason to turn your frown upside down – less effort, more joy. But anatomically, ...

Smiles are strange things. People use them when they are happy, yes, but also when they are uncomfortable, bored, anxious, or trying to be polite. Sometimes a smile has nothing to do with joy at all.

A smile means that someone is happy—or maybe not. Although we associate smiling with happiness, people can use a smile to convey a whole range of different messages. Research in nonverbal ...

You've probably heard the claim that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It's usually framed as a feel-good reason to turn your frown upside down—less effort, more joy. But anatomically, the ...