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Journal of nonverbal Behavior
, 26 ,(2): 63-81, Summer 2002

Assigned and Felt Status in Relation to Observer-Coded and Participant-Reported Smiling

Judith A. Hall Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115; HALL1@neu.edu
Terrence G. Horgan, Ohio State University
Jason D. Carter, SUNY, New Paltz

Most Three experiments examined the relation of smiling to experimentally assigned interpersonal status and, within status groups, to self-reported feelings of status/power. In two of the experiments, participants' reports of own and partner smiling were also gathered and examined in relation to assigned status. In Studies 1 and 2, assigned status had no impact on smiling. In Study 3, lower-status participants smiled more than their higher-status partners in one experimental task; in the other task, lower-status participants smiled more than their higher-status partners only when the higher-status person was instructed to be controlling. In none of the experiments was self-reported status/power significantly related to actual smiling. Participant-reported smiling revealed a status effect that was much stronger than that found for actual smiling. Women smiled more than men, and this effect could not be accounted for in terms of status roles nor self-reported feelings of status/power.

Keywords
status, roles, smiling, gender

Article ID:
374964
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* Reproduced with permission of Copyright Service of Kluwer Academic Publishers.