Living in London

Not only are the British and American accents very distinct, a new study by a Berkeley professor, has shown that your smile can reveal your roots.

An article published recently in the London Times, reports that the British smile by pulling their lips back and upwards and exposing their lower teeth. Americans, on the other hand, are more likely to simply part their lips and stretch the corners of their mouths. Also from the article:

He found the British were also more likely to raise their cheeks when they smile, showing the crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes. This produces a more sincere, hard-to-fake smile.

By contrast, Keltner found most Americans had the far less expressive “Pan-Am smile”, named after the defunct airline’s gesture of welcome. This depends only on the zygomaticus major corner-tightening muscle and has also been called the “Botox smile” because, like the cosmetic treatment, it leaves the muscles at the corners of the eyes motionless.

You can read the full article here.