A smile is contagious and spreads from mouth to mouth, especially between two smitten partners. If your other half mirrors your display of joy, it means your relationship is healthy. On the other hand, if they look at you like you're an alien and remain closed off to your feigned happiness, either they take longer to understand, or they're not the ideal man you think they are. This is the message behind the "smile test," yet another social media challenge for couples.
Is your partner receptive to your smile?
First there was the “orange peel theory ,” which measured a couple’s compatibility based on the peel of an orange. Then came the “ bird test ,” which involved marveling at a pot on the stove or a bird in mid-air and rating your partner’s reaction from 1 to 10 on an enthusiasm scale. And now, couples are playing another romantic game on social media.
The rule is simple. Just smile for no apparent reason at the camera and mime a "copy-paste" effect on your partner's face. Internet users, always on the lookout for these techniques that find proof of love in any situation, make a hand gesture as if to apply their sunny emotion to their partner's face.
Whether in the car, at the beach, or at home, they hope to see their partner sport the same happy expression and rely on the mirror effect. Faced with this smile that seems to come out of nowhere, some partners don't hide their incomprehension and remain unmoved. Conversely, others spontaneously mirror their sweetheart. The most popular video is that of the duo @kayandtae , a couple straight out of a romantic comedy, a modern-day Romeo and Juliet.
The content creator, sporting a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial, walks towards her partner, and she didn't even need to use any magic words for him to share this positive emotion. In the caption, she adds, "It's a green flag."
View this post on Instagram
A heartwarming trend that is taking over social media
In @ kayandtae 's video, the partner is particularly captivated by his girlfriend's dazzling smile. So much so that some viewers tell him she's "lucky" or that she hit the "jackpot." "Every woman deserves to be loved like that." "The way he looks at her says it all." "For my sanity, tell me it's AI," jokes one viewer, highlighting how rare this kind of male behavior is.
However, not all videos of this kind end with a tender moment or a rush of endorphins, even if only through facial expressions. Some are comical, others more chaotic. Sometimes, the partner pouts, and it's only when the tables turn that they deign to offer a knowing little smile. Far from being a cuteness competition, this test primarily illustrates the power of a smile in a relationship, which can sometimes be more effective than a hug or a declaration of love.
Is smiling without restraint the secret to a long-lasting relationship?
Unlike other viral trends that claim to be inspired by Cupid, this one has been documented by science. According to a study published in 2009 , the smile displayed in childhood photos could predict the longevity of a couple's relationship. Because a smile doesn't lie and is sometimes akin to a declaration of love.
To see if this simple facial expression could reveal much about our love stories, researchers examined old photos from our youth. Not filtered selfies or carefully staged Instagram shots, but portraits taken long before pivotal encounters, marriages, and breakups.
Matthew Hertenstein's team, professors of psychology at DePauw University, analyzed hundreds of photographs from school yearbooks as well as portraits of elderly people. Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), a tool developed by psychologist Paul Ekman to decode facial expressions, they measured the intensity of the smiles displayed in these photos. And the results are quite surprising:
- Only 11% of people with a broad smile have experienced a divorce in their lifetime;
- This figure rose to 31% among those who smiled little or not at all;
- Participants with a discreet smile were up to five times more likely to divorce.
It's more a question of personality than white teeth.
However, be warned, the study doesn't say that a bright smile guarantees you'll end up holding hands at sunset. Instead, the researchers offer several possible explanations. People who smile easily tend to:
- adopt a more optimistic view of life;
- better manage everyday conflicts and frustrations;
- communicate their emotions more naturally;
- to create a warmer and more reassuring atmosphere around them.
In short, it may not be the smile itself that protects the couple, but everything it reveals behind the scenes: a certain ability to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.
One thing is certain: while social media likes to turn every interaction into a love test, science reminds us that a genuine smile remains a powerful marker of human connection. And in a relationship, it often costs less than a bouquet of flowers or a romantic weekend getaway.
