Smiling can build relationships even after someone has been untrustworthy, researchers find

A certain type of smile can help to restore trust in relationships after someone has been uncooperative or untrustworthy, according to new research by Queen’s University Belfast.

Dr. Magdalena Rychlowska from Queen’s University has been analyzing how three different types of smiles can influence social judgments and trust in difficult situations where there could be conflict. …

“We found that when a person smiled after being uncooperative or untrustworthy, they were viewed as being happy and therefore they appeared untrustworthy and unwilling to change their behavior. However, when an affiliation smile was used, this was perceived as an attempt to make amends, restoring higher levels of trust than the other two smiles.”