Donnadogsoth Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Smiling with teeth seems unnatural to me. Isn't baring teeth an obvious sign of aggression? Are there any animals besides man that bare their teeth when they're happy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCapitalism Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I asked this question to my coworkers and here are some responses. Horses, goats, sheep, chimpanzees, pigs. i think i've seen my dog smile although rare. It may have something to do with the muscle structure in the animals faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wuzzums Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Chimps but there's probably a lot more animals out there that do this. The sign of aggression is not baring the teeth per se, it's a series of cues one of which is an emphasis on showing off the canines. I would argue that a full toothed smile is very natural seeing how there's a muscle in the face specialized to doing just that, the rizorius muscle. Its purpose is to pull back the corners of the mouth to expose as many teeth (molars) as possible. This muscle is used only when smiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirgall Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates-ebook/dp/B007Q6XKEY/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. D. Stembal Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Baring your teeth is not a genuine smile. When you are smiling and "showing your pearly whites" for a photograph, you are faking a smile. If you are clenching your jaws together, like in a dental x-ray, it reveals anxiety, not happiness. I could be mistaken, but I believe Malcolm Gladwell discusses this briefly in Blink. I'll have to flip through it at another time and come back to the thread. If you present people with wide open eyes, and an open mouth no matter if you are smiling or not, they will most likely interpret this as openness, like you are eager to talk to them. I find my jaws clenched together often, not just in social situations. I grind my teeth in my sleep sometimes. I have to do a lot of facial relaxation exercises to counteract my (un)natural tendencies. All of the bioenergetic videos on Elliot's channel are pure, unadulterated genius. These techniques have been pivotal for me in releasing a lot of pain, tension and joy that I'm confining inside of me. Philosophy enabled me to free my mind, but Bioenergetics training assisted me in discovering my inner self, what some might call the soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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