Fijians have the most genuine smiles compared to New Zealand Europeans, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.
Researchers surveyed 46 participants, who were asked to watch amusing videos and have their facial reactions recorded by a Facial Action Coding System, which is a software that looks at expressions and muscle movements.
Individuals were judged on their frequency, duration, intensity, genuineness and teeth during smiling episodes.
Only five people from the New Zealand European group didn’t smile during the study.
The “Bula smile” is associated with Fijian culture and hospitality. It’s even touted as the "friendliest smile in the world," according
to the study.
Nunia Ravesi is a Fijian living on O‘ahu. She said the Bula smile is more than a greeting, as it means that the person is sending love and good health.
“We carry our Bula smile everywhere we go,” she said. “It’s something that is sacred to us.”
While all humans smile to communicate, the study explains that they do not smile in the same way.
The research was funded by a grant from Colgate-Palmolive and internal funding from the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry and the University of Otago.
