A recent study reveals a counterintuitive truth: laughter and smiling can make you appear up to two years older than a neutral poker face. If this surprises you—and your astonished expression might just make you look younger—that's backed by science. "We associate laughter with positive values and youth," says the study's co-author. Yet, when researchers presented images of smiling, neutral, and surprised faces, participants rated surprised expressions as the youngest and smiling ones as the oldest.
The researcher explains that smiles create noticeable wrinkles around the eyes, which people can't easily overlook, accelerating perceived aging. In contrast, a surprised look smooths those wrinkles, preserving a youthful appearance.
