Smiling and Relative Status in News Photographs

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that lower social status is associated with more smiling, the authors used newspaper photographs and their associated news stories as the basis for scoring the smiling and relative social status of the 2 individuals in each photograph. Independent raters judged smiling and 5 dimensions of relative status for 496 individuals in 248 newspaper photographs. There was no relation between status and smiling, although status and smiling were both related to other variables such as gender, age, and story valence. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that there is no generalized relation between smiling and status.

Forming Impressions: Effects of Facial Expression and Gender Stereotypes

“…A further study might investigate the eff ect of contextual cues, e.g., perceivers who ascribe to traditional gender norms might expect men in high status or leadership positions that are associated with competence (e.g., CEOs, managerial positions) to engage in more stoic, non-emotional displays of behavior, whereas it may be deemed more acceptable for men in low status positions (e.g., customer service, retail clerks) to engage in smiling behavior. Although some research has indicated that social status diff erentially aff ects the smiling behavior of men and women ( Henley, 1977 ), other studies have found that status is not a good predictor of gender diff erences in smiling behavior (e.g., Dovidio, Brown, Heltman, Ellyson, & Keating, 1988 ;Cashdan, 1998 ;Hall & Friedman, 1999 ;Hall, Carter, & Horgan, 2001 ;Hall, Carter, Jimenez, Frost, & LeBeau, 2002 ). However, it would be worthwhile to assess how perceptions of competence are related to status positions, and to investigate whether the perceivers' endorsement of traditional male stereotypes would infl uence ratings of smiling and non-smiling men in high and low status positions as associated with competence.…”

Happy affect and smiling: Is their relation moderated by interpersonal power?

“…Though they can be challenged on this choice of emphasis, it is probably moot to do so considering the results of the present research.3 Note that neither the Hecht and LaFrance (1998) findings nor those reported in the present article speak to the question of whether people high and low in power, status, or dominance differ in their overall amounts of smiling. This question has a research literature of its own, which shows essentially no overall difference (e.g.,Friedman & Miller- Herringer, 1991;Gifford, 1994;Hall, Carter, Jimenez, Frost, & Smith LeBeau, 2002;Hall & Friedman, 1999;Hall, Horgan, & Carter, 2002;Hall, Smith LeBeau, Gordon Reinoso, & Thayer, 2001;Hecht & LaFrance, 1998 [for…”

“…3Note that neither the Hecht and LaFrance (1998) findings nor those reported in the present article speak to the question of whether people high and low in power, status, or dominance differ in their overall amounts of smiling. This question has a research literature of its own, which shows essentially no overall difference (e.g., Friedman & Miller-Herringer, 1991; Gifford, 1994; Hall, Carter, Jimenez, Frost, & Smith LeBeau, 2002; Hall & Friedman, 1999; Hall, Horgan, & Carter, 2002; Hall, Smith LeBeau, Gordon Reinoso, & Thayer, 2001; Hecht & LaFrance, 1998 [for either Duchenne or non-Duchenne smiles]; Johnson, 1994). Deutsch (1990) found that low-power individuals in an experiment smiled more than high-power individuals.…”

Sex Differences in Smiling and Other Photographed Traits: A Theoretical Assessment

“…Another social condition involves people being photographed for the purpose of later sharing the pictures with friends and relatives (e.g. Reis et al, 1990;Otta et al, 1994;Hall et al, 2002). In nearly all investigations, females have been found to smile more than males (see reviewed by La France et al, 2003;Ellis et al, 2008, p. 670).…”