smiling face

If you wear a smiling face, people are more likely to judge your age as younger. That’s according to a study published in Psychology and Aging, online, Sept. 5, 2011. In the study, 154 young, middle-aged, and older adults guessed the age of 171 faces of young, middle-aged, and older men and women with various expressions portrayed on a total of 2,052 photographs. Each face displayed either an angry, fearful, disgusted, happy, sad, and neutral expression. The results showed facial expressions had a big effect on the accuracy of age estimates. Compared with other facial expressions, the age of neutral faces was estimated most accurately. Frowning, angry or fearful faces were judged older than they really were. Meanwhile, the perceived age of happy or smiling faces was most likely to be judged younger! But there is more to a smile than this… If you maintain a happy, cheerful disposition, you really are likely to live longer. If you surround yourself with friends and arrange your furniture how you want it, believe it or not, that has an impact on how long you will live!

If you wear a smiling face, people are more likely to judge your age as younger. That’s according to a study published in Psychology and Aging, online, Sept. 5, 2011. In the study, 154 young, middle-aged, and older adults guessed the age of 171 faces of young, middle-aged, and older men and women with various expressions portrayed on a total of 2,052 photographs. Each face displayed either an angry, fearful, disgusted, happy, sad, and neutral expression. The results showed facial expressions had a big effect on the accuracy of age estimates. Compared with other facial expressions, the age of neutral faces was estimated most accurately. Frowning, angry or fearful faces were judged older than they really were. Meanwhile, the perceived age of happy or smiling faces was most likely to be judged younger! But there is more to a smile than this… If you maintain a happy, cheerful disposition, you really are likely to live longer. If you surround yourself with friends and arrange your furniture how you want it, believe it or not, that has an impact on how long you will live!