Studies have found that smiling babies are more likely to be labeled female by onlookers, while men view serious women as less attractive than those who look friendly (the opposite of how women view men). Women do tend to smile more than men, across age groups and ethnicities. Rather, said Marianne LaFrance, a psychologist at Yale University who studies gender and nonverbal communication, women feel pressure to smile, and they can be penalized if they don’t. “Women get completely socialized that smiling should be the default expression on their face,” said Dr. LaFrance, the author of “Why Smile? Others have pointed out that women are more likely to work in the customer service sector, where smiling is an asset.

Source: New York Times June 10, 2020 15:11 UTC