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

Krys, Kuba and C., Melanie Vauclair and Hassan, Arif (2016) Be careful where you smile: culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 40 (2). pp. 101-116. ISSN 0191-5886 E-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:	2898/51820. There are 38 authors from various institution and countries for this article. Refer to the article for the complete list of authors and affiliation
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:	Nur' Aini Abu Bakar
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2016 15:43
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2016 12:34
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/51820

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

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