What makes a smile genuine? How does AI read Duchenne markers, smile types, and eye engagement? Explore free tools and research-backed guides to understand — and improve — how your smile communicates.
Analyze My Smile Free →Test your smile instantly — private, no account required.
AI Smile Analyzer
Get your Smile Score (0–100), smile type, and Duchenne marker detection from any photo.
Smile Tips
Actionable, science-backed strategies to improve your smile, eye engagement, and first impressions.
Smile Types Hub
Explore every smile type — Duchenne, social, asymmetric, and more — with guides for each.
Not all smiles are equal. A Duchenne smile — with engaged eyes and lifted cheeks — is rated as warmer, more trustworthy, and more attractive than a mouth-only social smile. Humans detect the difference in under 100 milliseconds, often without conscious awareness.
Smile Tracker's AI reads the same signals: mouth curve, cheek squint, eye squint, and jaw openness via Google MediaPipe blendshapes. Upload a photo to the free smile analyzer for your Smile Score, or read our Duchenne smile explainer for the full neuroscience breakdown.
Research-backed articles on Duchenne smiles, smile types, and expression authenticity.
What Is a Duchenne Smile? The Science Behind a Real Smile
A Duchenne smile is the only smile that can't be fully faked. Learn the neuroscience behind it, how it differs from a fake smile, and how AI detects it.
6 min · Smile Science
Types of Smiles and What They Mean: A Science-Backed Guide
There are at least 19 scientifically documented smile types. Each activates different muscles and communicates a distinct emotional signal. Here is what each one means.
12 min · Smile Science
Common questions about smile science and AI smile analysis.
A Duchenne smile activates both the zygomatic major (mouth corners) and orbicularis oculi (eye muscles). Named after neurologist Guillaume Duchenne, it is the smile humans read as genuine — and it cannot be fully replicated without real positive emotion engaging the eyes.
Smile Tracker uses Google MediaPipe to read 52 blendshape scores from 478 facial landmarks — mouth curve, cheek lift, eye squint, and jaw position. The cheek and eye squint values are the primary Duchenne markers. A high Smile Score means strong activation across all four signal groups.
Research distinguishes Duchenne (genuine), social (polite, mouth-only), asymmetric (natural variation), and contempt or dominance smiles. Each type sends different social signals. Our Types of Smiles article covers all major categories with photos and detection cues.
Yes. Duchenne smiling improves with practice using genuine memory triggers, relaxed jaw posture, and daily mirror exercises for orbicularis oculi engagement. Our Smile Tips guide covers evidence-based techniques that shift both your expression quality and how AI scores your smile.
Photos freeze a single millisecond of expression — often catching a transitional moment. Lighting, camera angle, and tension also change how smile signals read. A relaxed, genuine expression in soft frontal light produces the highest Smile Scores and the most flattering results.
Upload a photo and get your Smile Score, smile type, and Duchenne marker reading — free and private.
Analyze My Smile Free →