Running Head: SMILING AND PHYSICAL DOMINANCE

The smile is perhaps the most widely studied facial expression of emotion and in this paper we examined its status as a sign of physical dominance. We reasoned, based on prior research, that prior to a physical confrontation, smiles are a nonverbal sign of reduced hostility and aggression, and thereby unintentionally communicate reduced physical dominance. Two studies provided evidence in support of this prediction: Study 1 found that professional fighters who smiled more in a pre-fight photograph taken facing their opponent performed more poorly during the fight relative to their less intensely smiling counterparts. In Study 2, untrained observers judged a fighter as less hostile and aggressive, and thereby less physically dominant when the fighters’ facial expression was manipulated to show a smiling expression relative to the same fighter displaying a neutral expression. Discussion focused on the reasons why smiles are associated with decreased physical dominance. (149 words)