Do Leaders Smile More, or Less?
Nonverbal communication, particularly facial expressions, is pivotal in leadership and interpersonal influence. This article explores whether leaders smile more or less and examines the health benefits of smiling for you as an individual, providing professionals with evidence-based insights grounded in neuroscience and psychology.
Facial expressions, especially smiling, are integral in conveying emotions and intentions. The Social Functional Approach to Emotions posits that expressions like smiling facilitate social interactions and influence group dynamics (Keltner & Haidt, 1999). Understanding these dynamics is essential for grasping the impact of smiling on leadership effectiveness, interpersonal interactions, as well as personal well-being.
Smiling and Leadership Effectiveness
Increased Attractiveness
Research indicates that smiling enhances perceived attractiveness. Individuals who smile more are also rated higher in likability, openness, and extroversion, making others more willing to engage with them (Harker & Keltner, 2001). For leaders, this implies that smiling can improve interpersonal relationships and facilitate more effective collaboration.
Confidence & Dominance
Smiling is associated with higher confidence and perceived dominance. People who smile more are often seen as more secure and confident, translating to higher social status (Van Kleef et al., 2004). This dominance in social environments can enhance a leader's ability to influence and motivate their followers. The caveat is that true leaders won’t always smile - they smile as they see fit, as the situation demands, when and how they like - in accordance with their social status, confidence, and perceived dominance. Smiling not only boosts an individual’s confidence but also correlates with increased success. Confidence leads to dominance, which translates into success, suggesting that leaders who smile more may achieve higher levels of career success (Fredrickson, 2001).
Context Matters: When Less Smiling is More
High-Stakes Situations
While smiling generally promotes positive perceptions with others, its effectiveness varies depending on the context. In high-stakes or conflict situations, excessive smiling might be perceived as a lack of seriousness or competence (Heerdink et al., 2013). Leaders need to balance their expressions to align with contextual demands and interpersonal perceptions.
Cultural Norms
Cultural norms significantly influence the interpretation of smiling. In some cultures, smiling frequently may be seen as a sign of weakness, lack of authenticity, or superficiality, whereas, in others, it is a marker of friendliness, openness, and approachability. Leaders must be culturally aware to use smiling effectively in diverse settings (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013).
Gender of Leader
Gender influences the perception of smiling in leadership. Women tend to smile more than men in general in life, often due to societal expectations and gender norms (Hall et al., 2000). Female leaders who smile frequently might face different interpretations of their behavior compared to their male counterparts, impacting their perceived effectiveness and authority. Female leaders, in particular, must think more concertedly about when, how, and with whom they smile or express emotions, to temper their conditioning with contextual demands and interpersonal perceptions.
Health Benefits of Smiling
Longevity and Happiness
Smiling can predict not only your life expectancy but also your marriage's longevity. People who smile more live longer and have happier, longer marriages. They experience increased well-being throughout their lives. People who smile more and smile wider aren't just happier; they have longer lives and better overall well-being.
The Neuroscience of Smiling
Smiling activates neural pathways that increase dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which are associated with improved mood and reduced stress (Ashby et al., 1999). This neurochemical boost helps calm the nervous system, counteracting the effects of stress responses and enhancing overall well-being.
Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward system, getting these done, and approach motivations - sometimes called the “Get it Done Hormone”. When we smile, dopamine levels increase, leading to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. This can motivate positive behaviors and improve mood (Wise, 2004).
Serotonin
is linked to mood regulation, contentedness, satisfaction, and well-being - sometimes dubbed the “Happiness Hormone”. Smiling can boost serotonin levels, which helps reduce feelings of depression and anxiety (Young, 2007).
Endorphins
Endorphins, often referred to as natural painkillers, are released when we smile, providing an analgesic effect and contributing to feelings of happiness (Pert, 1997).
Psychological Benefits
Smiling creates happiness in the brain and can improve overall perceived mental wellness and health. Even the mere act of thinking about smiling can trigger the brain's reward system, increasing feelings of happiness and reducing stress (Kleingeld et al., 2011). Often, our brain takes our behaviors as evidence of our external environment and how well things are going in our world. When you choose to smile, you give your brain a little boost - physically, functionally, emotionally, and neurochemically.
Immune System & Allostatic Enhancement
Smiling and laughter have been shown to enhance the immune system by increasing the production of antibodies and activating immune cells, improving the body's ability to fight off illness (Berk et al., 2001). Smiling can improve the body’s stress response by calming the sympathetic nervous system (flight, fight, freeze) and allowing the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, repair) to take over. The body’s ability to handle and deal with stress is often referred to as the ‘allostatic response’, while the stress one carries with them typically overtime is referred to as one’s ‘allostatic load’. Smiling, laughing, and general happiness improve one’s allostatic response to other stressors in life or at work, and can thereby lessen one’s allostatic load.
Implications for Leadership Development
Understanding the nuanced role of smiling in leadership can inform leadership development programs. Encouraging leaders to develop emotional intelligence, which includes managing and appropriately expressing emotions, can enhance a prospective leader’s effectiveness with direct reports and in general throughout the organization. Training programs should emphasize the importance of context in nonverbal communication and help leaders develop skills to adjust their expressions accordingly.
Emotional Intelligence Training
Programs designed to enhance emotional intelligence can help leaders understand the impact of their facial expressions and use them more effectively. This includes training on recognizing and interpreting the emotions of others and adjusting one's expressions to fit the context.
Stress Management Training
Incorporating stress management techniques such as mindfulness and relaxation exercises can help leaders maintain a positive demeanor and smile more naturally, contributing to their overall effectiveness and well-being.
Conclusion
The question of whether leaders smile more or less is complex and context-dependent. While smiling can enhance leadership effectiveness by fostering positive interpersonal interactions and perceptions, its appropriateness varies based on situational and cultural factors. However, the health benefits of smiling, including increased attractiveness, confidence, dominance, influence, longevity, and happiness, provide compelling reasons for leaders to smile more often - especially as they see fit or appropriate. Integrating these insights into leadership development can help executives optimize their own performance and well-being, as well as those around them.
References
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Berk, L. S., Tan, S. A., Fry, W. F., Napier, B. J., Lee, J. W., Hubbard, R. W., ... & Eby, W. C. (2001). Neuroendocrine and stress hormone changes during mirthful laughter. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 298(6), 390-396.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218.
Hall, J. A., Carter, J. D., & Horgan, T. G. (2000). Gender differences in nonverbal communication of emotion. Gender and emotion: Social psychological perspectives, 97-117.
Harker, L., & Keltner, D. (2001). Expressions of positive emotion in women’s college yearbook pictures and their relationship to personality and life outcomes across adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 112-124.
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Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., & Arends, L. (2011). The effect of goal setting on group performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1289-1304.
Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. S. (2013). Culture and facial expressions: Understanding cultural differences in basic facial expressions. Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology, 299-318.
Pert, C. B. (1997). Molecules of emotion: The science behind mind-body medicine. Simon and Schuster.
Van Kleef, G. A., De Dreu, C. K., & Manstead, A. S. (2004). The interpersonal effects of anger and happiness in negotiations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 57-76.
Wise, R. A. (2004). Dopamine, learning and motivation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(6), 483-494.
Young, S. N. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 32(6), 394.