Effects of a smile: reciprocation and compliance with a request.
In this study, 639 native Dutch shoppers (279 men and 360 women) entering a department store, supermarket, or mall were approached with a request to sign a petition for animal welfare. The request was accompanied by a smile or a neutral expression displayed by a woman or a man. Results showed that a smile was reciprocated with a smile, especially by female participants. Participants were more likely to comply with the request of a woman than of a man. It was also found that smiling of the participant and compliance were related and that the reciprocation of a smile increased the likelihood of compliance with the request.
Vrugt
Anneke
A
University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychology, The Netherlands. a.j.vrugt@uva.nl
D000328:Adult; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D003256:Community Participation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D012737:Sex Factors; D012904:Smiling