Inter-individual variability of the facial morphology during conscious smiling.

Introduction: Since many simulation and animation procedures for mimicry are based on averaged values and do not take into account an individual's situation, the goal of this study was to investigate the intra- and inter-individual variability of conscious smiling.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-three surface points were marked on the faces of 31 adult test individuals. Six photographs of each subject's face were then taken under standardized conditions, one with a neutral facial expression and five while the individual was asked to smile (conscious smile "on command"). After digital superposition of the individual images (neutral and smiling) the displacements were measured for every measurement point on each individual. All data underwent statistical evaluation after normalization in the vertical and horizontal directions. Evaluation of intra- and inter-individual variability was carried out by analyzing the corresponding coefficients of variation and the formation of confidence intervals (confidence level 95%).

Results: The repeated measurements upon conscious smiling showed a moderate intra-individual variability with coefficients of variation under 10%. In contrast, the inter-individual variability of the measured values was relatively high. Here variation coefficients were measured of between 28% and 60% depending on the localization of the measuring point. The displacements' absolute magnitude was greatest in the lower facial third. The two corners of the mouth, the upper lip in the philtrum area, the cheeks and the side wings of the nose revealed the highest displacements.

Conclusion: Due to the high inter-individual variability, an analysis based on averaged values or a simulation of the conscious smile must be viewed with a certain amount of criticism.