Pan Am Smiles
Friendly and Professional

But Were They Fake?

A term in popular psychology is the "Pan Am Smile" named after the friendly but at times, forced smile that was trained into the Pan Am flight crews when greeting people as part of their image and was a reflection the importance placed on customer service.

Today, some may refer to it as the courtesy smile which although shows politeness and may be a socially required, it might just really be superficial.

The BBC Science Website has a fun link to see if you can tell if a smile is real or fake with about twenty examples that you can click on. Get a quick score tallied to see how good you are at spotting the difference.

********* Take the smile test and come back to read on. *******

How good were you at exposing the fake smiles from the genuine smiles? How good are you at catching the difference in your everyday life? We at SmileForMeToys wonder.... how good are you at bringing them out with kids?

Genuine Smiles Make
The Best Photos

Since a real smile is involuntary and a fake smile is deliberate, researchers have shown that portions of our brain control the muscles used for each type of smile.

A French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne discovered the differences in the muscles used in the genuine smile. When the corners of your mouth turn up and the skin around the corners of your eyes crinkle like "crow's feet," you have a Duchenne Smile. You see them as the smiles that show real happiness and delight that naturally radiate and bubble up. But, when a photographer says "watch the birdie and smile" you may find that smiling on demand is easier said than done and getting a little one to do it is definitely a chore at times. The photos you find special are the ones that capture that true smile.

Try Our Board Game Called SnapShotz

Put taking photos on "auto-pilot". Just put out the board, ADD your favorite photo booth props and camera or tablet and away you go! Designed to engage all personalities from the "selfie addicted" to the "photo allergic", everyone gets drawn into the game. Uses any digital camera, smart phone or tablet. The perfect playing field to take photos around a table. Order The SnapShotz Photography Board Game . The game has a way better chance of getting your child to smile with laughter and hopefully eliminating the non-cooperative "Pan Am Smile".

Be the cause of genuine smiles in kids and you'll have some memorable moments captured forever. It is easy to do. Just put the game out in front of them. The hardest part is just committing to playing it. Like the reluctant child that you have to drag into a birthday party and then can't drag them away, everyone will be glad they played.

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