Be careful where you smile: culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals

Hassan, Arif (2015) Be careful where you smile: culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior . pp. 1-16. ISSN 1573-3653

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Abstract

Smiling individuals are usually perceived more favorably than non-smiling ones—they are judged as happier, more attractive, competent, and friendly. These seemingly clear and obvious consequences of smiling are assumed to be culturally universal, however most of the psychological research is carried out in WEIRD societies (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) and the influence of culture on social perception of nonverbal behavior is still understudied. Here we show that a smiling individual may be judged as less intelligent than the same non-smiling individual in cultures low on the GLOBE’s uncertainty avoidance dimension. Furthermore, we show that corruption at the societal level may undermine the prosocial perception of smiling—in societies with high corruption indicators, trust toward smiling individuals is reduced. This research fosters understanding of the cultural framework surrounding nonverbal communication processes and reveals that in some cultures smiling may lead to negative attributions.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	2898/47781
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Corruption; Culture; Honesty; Intelligence; Smile; Uncertainty avoidance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM1001 Social psychology
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences > Department of Business Administration
Depositing User:	Prof. Arif Hassan
Date Deposited:	15 Jan 2016 14:44
Last Modified:	11 May 2016 14:30
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/47781

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• Be careful where you smile: culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals. (deposited 15 Jan 2016 14:44) [Currently Displayed]
  • Be careful where you smile: culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals. (deposited 02 Sep 2016 15:43)

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