'Human Lie Detector' Annie Sarnblad reveals how to tell a real smile from a fake one

We often wish that our life might have been easier if we could read the minds of the people in front of us. We would never get tricked or cheated on and we would always be able to understand the true intentions behind the words and actions of an individual. But unfortunately, we do not possess the power to read minds. The least we can do is learn about how to read the microexpressions of a human being just like human expression expert and author, Annie Sarnblad.

Sarnblad recently appeared in one of the podcast episodes of mindset coach and entrepreneur Lewis Howes that was titled: "Become a Human Lie Detector (How to Read Anyone!) | Top Facial Expression Expert Annie Särnblad." Sarnblad has gained the moniker of "human lie detector" for her ability to tell apart fake human expressions from genuine ones. “I’m not a mind reader but I’m a very good feelings reader. Clear as day, I can see your emotions. It is universal – it is our human species!” Sarnblad quotes as per Howes' official website.

In a segment of the podcast which was almost an hour long, Sarnblad talks about the ways one can decode a true smile. Sitting down with Howes, the microexpression expert broke down certain points about how we can identify different types of people based on their facial expressions, how to identify red flags through facial cues, study someone's body language and much more. "Annie Sarnblad's unique insights into the world of facial expressions and body language offer profound wisdom on how we can build better and more meaningful relationships with others," Howes captioned the particular segment's clip which was posted on his Instagram.

"How can you tell if someone is giving you a real smile?" Sarnblad asks Howes at the beginning of the clip. The podcast host answered by saying that he can detect a real smile when someone is "smizing." He explains that when a person smiles and crinkles appear at the side of their eyes, then he can tell that the other person is smiling genuinely. However, Sarnblad explains that it can disguise a fake smile as well. "It's all in our cheeks. When we are happy our cheeks pop up and we get smile bags under the eye," the expert elaborates.

"My daughter Emma was 4 when I was describing all these different points on the face for joy and she said that all we have to do is look at the skin underneath the eye," Sarnblad recalled. "That was the start of pulling this one piece that was specific for each emotion. That might have been an interesting outlook presented by the microexpression expert but the netizens were not completely convinced and they had polarizing opinions on her revelation. @itookahikepodcast commented: "Wow never knew that. Beautiful how that’s an indicator of knowing whether it’s a real smile or not."

@rochiridao wrote: "I think the key to a genuine smile is in the shine of the eyes." @_lisahayes_ criticized Sarnblad's explanation and quipped: "Oh for goodness sakes, a smile is a smile. If not authentic their intention is good. Trying to give something good to you from a dry well in themselves. Compassion people, do we really need to look at their bags? They may be carrying far more heavier ones that day." Sarnblad is also a globally recognized speaker and strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and people can find various takes on microexpressions in her book “Diary of a Human Lie Detector: Facial Expressions in Love, Lust, and Lies."