Duchenne Yearbook Smile Signals Personality Clues, Not a Life Hack

A long-running Mills College study of women photographed in the 1960 yearbook found that those with genuine Duchenne smiles (eye crinkles) reported more stable marriages and higher well-being about 30 years later. The finding is correlational and specific to a narrow cohort, not causal proof that smiling causes a better life. It likely reflects underlying dispositions and social dynamics—how being seen and met with warmth shapes relationships—rather than a universal life hack, and may not generalize to other eras or populations.