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Emotion
2013, Vol. 13, No. 2, 270–279
A Winning Smile? Smile Intensity, Physical Dominance, and Fighter Performance
Michael W. Kraus
University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign
Teh-Way David Chen
University of California, Berkeley
The smile is perhaps the most widely studied facial expression of emotion, and in this article we examine its status as a sign of physical dominance. We reason, on the basis of prior research, that prior to a physical confrontation, smiles are a nonverbal sign of reduced hostility and aggression, and thereby unintentionally communicate reduced physical dominance. Two studies provide evidence in support of this prediction: Study 1 found that professional fighters who smiled more in a prefight photograph taken facing their opponent performed more poorly during the fight in relation to their less intensely smiling counterparts. In Study 2, untrained observers judged a fighter as less hostile and aggressive, and thereby less physically dominant when the fighters’ facial expression was manipulated to show a smiling expression in relation to the same fighter displaying a neutral expression. Discussion focused on the reasons why smiles are associated with decreased physical dominance.
Keywords: emotion, physical dominance, smiles, aggression