What Does it Mean When Someone Gives You a Tight-Lipped Smile?

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Plus, learn the meaning of other common smiles
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Receiving a tight-lipped smile from someone can be confusing, whether it comes from a friend, crush, acquaintance, or stranger. This smile, where someone firmly presses their lips together with a slight upturn at the ends, can simply be a polite expression or signal that they’re hiding a deeper emotion. In this article, we’ll uncover all the potential meanings behind this smile and tell you about other common smiles, too. We also spoke to psychologists and dating experts to teach you how to read someone’s body language to help you decode what their smile might mean. Read on to learn more!

Tight-Lipped Smile Meaning

A tight-lipped smile, or smile with the lips pressed together and no teeth showing, often means someone is politely acknowledging you. It can also indicate that the person is hiding their true emotions to maintain their composure, like after they hear a rude or absurd comment.

Section 1 of 6:

Possible Meanings of a Tight-lipped Smile

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  1. Receiving a quick, tight-lipped smile from someone is often seen as a polite greeting. This smile is typically viewed as a formal gesture, rather than a friendly or welcoming one, because it doesn’t reach the person’s eyes. So, someone might give you this smile if they don’t know you well but still want to acknowledge your presence, or if they don’t have time to stop and chat with you. [1]
    • For instance, you might receive this smile if you bump into an acquaintance while running errands. Or, your coworker might give you this smile when they’re rushing off to a meeting.
  2. 2
    They’re hiding their true feelings, which are likely negative. People often paste tense, tight-lipped smiles on their faces to maintain composure after hearing something they don’t like. For instance, they might make this smile in response to a rude or sarcastic remark, a lie, or a comment they find absurd to hide their anger or contempt from the person. [2]
    • The person might feel the need to keep their real feelings a secret in polite or formal social situations. This is a way to keep the peace and placate or humor someone instead of confronting them.
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  3. 3
    They’re trying not to fully smile or laugh. If the situation is inappropriate for smiling or laughing, someone might press their mouth into a tight-lipped smile to keep their joy or amusement contained. Or, they might make this expression if they privately found something funny and want to keep it to themselves. If this is the case, you might notice wrinkles around their eyes or a sparkle in their gaze. [3]
    • For example, someone might make this smile if an authority figure, like a teacher or boss, made a silly comment but it would be rude to laugh at it.
  4. 4
    They feel shy or uncomfortable. A tight-lipped smile can sometimes convey that someone feels nervous or self-conscious in a social situation. For instance, they might feel unsure about how to act around people they don’t know well or uncomfortable sharing their thoughts or opinions in a big group. So, they keep their face in this expression to try to stay polite and friendly-looking. [4]
    • If someone is feeling shy or uncomfortable, you might notice them avoiding eye contact and keeping their head slightly down.
  5. 5
    They’re distracted. If someone wasn’t paying attention to a conversation, they might make a tight-lipped smile when they realize the person they’re talking to wanted a reaction. They might even give this smile to signal that they’re disengaged from the conversation because it's uninteresting or boring. [5]
    • If this is the case, you might notice the person looking around the room, checking the time, or even sighing.
  6. 6
    They don’t like smiling with their teeth. For many people, the tight-lipped smile might simply be their preferred way to smile. This might be because they don’t like how their open-mouthed smile looks, they’re self-conscious of their teeth, or they find it difficult to smile fully.
    • Someone who typically gives you a full smile might make this expression if they think they have food stuck in their teeth or they chipped their tooth.
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Section 2 of 6:

Decoding What Someone’s Tight-lipped Smile Means

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  1. 1
    Examine how tightly their lips are pressed together. The amount of tension in the person’s mouth can help indicate what their smile means. A more relaxed mouth might mean that the person is being polite, friendly, or trying to contain a broad smile. If their lips are firmly pressed together and strained-looking, this can indicate that they’re suppressing their true thoughts or feelings (like anger, disdain, or mockery). [6]
  2. 2
    Pay attention to their other body language cues . According to Keegan, a “large percent of our communication is in our body,” which can help you “read a lot” into someone’s thoughts and feelings. In general, someone who makes eye contact, has a straight and relaxed posture, and keeps their arms uncrossed is signaling friendliness or interest. If someone isn’t interested in you or has negative feelings, they’ll typically avoid eye contact, turn their body away from you, and cross their arms. [7]
    • Other body language cues include:
      • Eye contact : Strong eye contact is a positive sign of interest and attraction while a lack of eye contact suggests disinterest or shyness. Gopman also notes that intense eye contact can come off as intimidating.[v161196_b01].23 May 2019.
      • Proximity : Gopman notes that leaning away from someone is usually “a sign of uninterest or disinterest” while leaning towards them is “a sign of interest.”[v161196_b01].23 May 2019.
      • Body positioning : According to Rosenfield, “facing [someone] directly or a little bit on an angle” signals approachability and friendliness while facing away from them suggests disinterest.
      • Posture : Muñoz says that hunched or tense shoulders can convey a lack of confidence, nervousness, or stress. On the other hand, open, relaxed, and pushed-back shoulders suggest confidence and friendliness.
      • Eyebrows : Raised eyebrows can communicate surprise, attraction, or interest, while low or furrowed brows can signal anger or worry.
      • Pupil dilation : According to Dr. Brown, our pupils widen “when we find someone attractive” or we’re excited.[v162069_b01]. Tuesday, November 28, 2023. However, pupil dilation is also a response to stress. [8]
    • Note : Lui says it’s important to remember that body language cues are just generalizations “because everyone's personality and cultural upbringing is different.” Getting to know someone’s unique quirks and behavior can help you figure out what their smile means.
    • Keegan also cautions against reading too hard into someone’s body language. Look for multiple cues of interest or disinterest before assuming what their smile means. It’s always a good idea to ask someone how they’re feeling if you’re not sure, too!
  3. 3
    Consider the situation you’re in. Pay attention to where you were when the person gave you a tight-lipped smile and what kind of events or conversations were happening. For instance, receiving this smile from your crush as they ran to catch their ride might just be a polite greeting. But, receiving this smile from your coworker after your boss made a critical comment about their work can mean they’re hiding their irritation.
  4. 4
    Think about the relationship you have with the person. If the person is a stranger, their tight-lipped smile could just be a way to politely acknowledge you or indicate that they’re shy or nervous. If you’re close to the person, their smile might signal that they’re concealing their true emotions. Or, you might know that they don’t like to smile with their teeth showing.
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Section 3 of 6:

What does a tight-lipped smile look like?

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  1. In a tight-lipped smile, the lips are pressed together and slightly upturned. When someone makes this smile, they hide their teeth and flatten their lips—-only the very ends of their mouth are slightly upturned. There are also typically no wrinkles around the eyes. [9]
Section 4 of 6:

Other Types of Smiles

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  1. 1
    Genuine smile The genuine or Duchenne smile expresses true happiness, amusement, and excitement. When someone makes this smile , their mouth is open wide and upturned at the ends, their cheeks are raised, and there are wrinkles (or “crows feet”) around their eyes. [10]
  2. 2
    Closed-lipped smile The closed-lipped smile is a less expressive and enthusiastic version of the genuine smile. While it also conveys happiness and friendliness, it’s more polite and reserved. In this smile, the person keeps their lips pressed together with no teeth showing, but they still raise their cheeks and crinkle their eyes.
  3. 3
    Fake smile Someone usually makes a fake smile when they want to communicate joy and excitement, but don’t really feel it. For instance, people usually make this smile while posing for pictures or when they want to appear polite. If someone’s making a fake smile, their mouth will be open and upturned, but there won’t be any wrinkles around their eyes. [11]
    • Keegan notes that fake smiles can make people appear unapproachable or even “suspicious.” On the other hand, genuine smiles typically make someone appear more approachable and likable.
  4. 4
    Flirty smile The flirty smile is the perfect way to communicate attraction to someone and get their attention. When someone makes this smile, they’ll typically slightly upturn their lips, raise their eyebrows, and make direct eye contact with the person they’re admiring. Then, they’ll look away while still smiling. [12]
  5. 5
    Sarcastic smile or smirk When someone smirks , they typically keep their mouth closed and raise up 1 corner of their lips. This lopsided expression typically conveys sarcasm, humor, irony, and mischief. But, it can someones also signal overconfidence or mockery. [13]
  6. 6
    Shy or embarrassed smile This expression is typically characterized by a slight, closed-lipped smile and averted gaze. The person might also blush or drop their head down. This smile usually means that the person feels self-conscious or nervous, but they’re happy. For instance, someone might make this smile after receiving an unexpected compliment. [14]
  7. 7
    Sad smile People often smile, even when they’re sad or upset. When someone makes a sad smile, their lips will typically be closed and slightly upturned only on one side. Their cheeks won’t be raised and they won’t have any wrinkles around their eyes—instead, their eyes typically appear downturned or droopy. [15]
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Section 5 of 6:

Final Thoughts

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  1. Someone’s tight-lipped smile can mean a lot of different things: it can be a polite acknowledgment, signify that they’re actually feeling annoyed or frustrated, or simply be their preferred way of smiling. To help you understand what this smile means, pay attention to the person’s body language, the conversation you're having, the situation you’re in, and your relationship to them.
Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    What’s the rarest smile type? Smiles are typically categorized into 3 patterns: commissure, cuspid, and complex. The rarest type of smile is the complex smile, which only about 2% of the population has. When people with this pattern smile, they show all of their upper and lower teeth. [16]
    • Celebrity examples: Marilyn Monroe, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts
  2. 2
    What’s the most common smile type? Of the 3 main smile patterns, commissure is the most common—about 67% of the population has this smile. With this smile, the corners of the lips lift up and out and only the upper teeth show. It’s the classic smile shape—think Audrey Hepburn, Jennifer Aniston, and Halle Berry. [17]
    • The cuspid smile is the second most common, with 31% of the population having it. It’s characterized by the lips exposing the canine teeth and then pulling down. Examples include Angela Bassett, Angelina Jolie, and Tiger Woods.
  3. 3
    What smile is most attractive? All genuine, joyful smiles—eye crinkles and all—are beautiful! In terms of conventional attractiveness, people generally consider straight, symmetrical smiles with little gum show desirable.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/3-kinds-of-smiles/
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201604/5-types-smiles-and-what-they-mean
      3. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same
      4. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2701206/
      5. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/spycatcher/202312/the-lips-our-emotional-seismograph
      6. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same
      7. ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/relationships/communication/nonverbal-communication
      8. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/22238-dilated-pupils
      9. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/spycatcher/202312/the-lips-our-emotional-seismograph
      1. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201604/5-types-smiles-and-what-they-mean
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201604/5-types-smiles-and-what-they-mean
      3. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201604/5-types-smiles-and-what-they-mean
      4. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201604/5-types-smiles-and-what-they-mean
      5. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same
      6. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170407-why-all-smiles-are-not-the-same
      7. ↑ https://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-65/issue-5/252.html
      8. ↑ https://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-65/issue-5/252.html

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