Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

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thomasdixon
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Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #1

Post by thomasdixon »

Is the smile a manmade Phenomenon?
NOTE: thje immages are to large but could not make them smaller
A smile is a smile

When a wolf shows his teeth,.,./\,./\.,.,
.,.,.,..,.He means business
When we humans show our teeth it’s called a smile

Is the difference an evolutionary thing and once upon a time we smiled for the same reason wolves smile today-?

Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

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wolf smile.jpg
[attachment=0]wolf smile.jpg
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Miles
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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

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Post by Miles »

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #3

Post by thomasdixon »

Some of the animals you posted have their mouths open as a way to cool off.
Others have their teeth showing just because they have their mouths open.
Having said the above, humans smile because they are in a pleasant mood.
Having said the above, I concede to your point
Still, a human smile is unique in my view and your post did not change my point of view.
Again, I will add, your contribution was great and faster than flash himself., it does carry on the topic.

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #4

Post by Tcg »

[Replying to thomasdixon in post #1]

I've known dogs that smile, or at least seemingly do. I'm not sure that it was a sign of friendship though, it could simply be that they learned this was a good way to get fed.

I wonder about dolphins. Is this a sign of friendship?

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #5

Post by Purple Knight »

thomasdixon wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 4:56 pm Some of the animals you posted have their mouths open as a way to cool off.
Others have their teeth showing just because they have their mouths open.
The real proof are the primates, though. They're doing what humans do, basically.

In real life, I have a reputation as a genuine Doctor Doolittle. I've amazed people with how well I can glean information from an animal, especially cats. Once, I visited a friend and her cat essentially told me that another cat, a younger one, had been in the house.

One thing I notice myself not doing is smiling with teeth. I smile, but not with teeth. When I'm with an animal it just doesn't occur to me that I ought to, and I don't.

I've learned the behaviour of slow-blinking to show being at ease or convey that there is no danger. Similarly, the dogs that smile may very well have learnt to do it from humans. I've seen this phenomenon as well, dogs showing their teeth in affection.

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #6

Post by The Barbarian »

Chimps smile when they are afraid. It's a common signal among many species, but the meaning varies a lot, even within different species of primates.

The bared-teeth display, also referred to as the fear grin, or grimace, is one of the most conspicuous and well-studied facial expressions in ethology and has been reported in a variety of mammalian species from canids to primates. Research has shown, however, that the communicative function of this expression can differ quite broadly depending on the species, their type of social organization and social context. In wolves, for example, retraction of the lips horizontally over the teeth results in a ‘submissive grin’ which is used by cubs and subordinates when actively greeting adult conspecifics, or humans (Fox, 1969). Antithetical to this expression is a vertical lip retraction which is given by dominant animals during aggressive interactions, very similar facial movements but with vastly different social functions.

Among primates, the function of the bared-teeth also has different meanings depending on the species and their type of social organization. Among macaques species that have despotic social systems characterized by strict, linear dominance hierarchies, i.e. rhesus monkeys, the bared-teeth display appears to be a signal of submission, or rank recognition in that it is only given by subordinates to higher ranking individuals (van Hooff, 1976; de Waal and Luttrell, 1985). This expression has been referred to as a formal signal of dominance in the rhesus monkey because it is highly ritualized in appearance and has long-term predictability in determining dominance relationships despite short-term variation in social contexts (de Waal and Luttrell, 1985). In this study, bared-teeth displays performed by subordinate individuals occurred most often in response to the approach of a dominant monkey, and the most frequent response was for the subordinate to withdraw from any social interaction (de Waal and Luttrell, 1985). However, the meaning of the bared-teeth display is quite different when used by species with more egalitarian social systems, including some macaques, mandrills, Gelada baboons and chimpanzees (van Hooff, 1967; Preuschoft and van Hooff, 1997). In these species, the bared-teeth display is more appeasing and functions to increase social attraction and affiliation. It communicates benign intent in that the signaler wishes no harm, and that there is no risk of aggression (van Hooff, 1967; van Hooff, 1976; Waller and Dunbar, 2005). It can also occur during affiliative contexts, such as grooming, sexual solicitation and reconciliations, and thus functions to increase affiliative tendencies and reduce proximity between individuals (van Hooff, 1973; Preuschoft and van Hooff, 1997; Parr et al., 2005; Waller and Dunbar, 2005).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555422/

The entire article is well worth reading, if you have any interest in ethology.

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #7

Post by The Barbarian »

Purple Knight wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 11:36 pm In real life, I have a reputation as a genuine Doctor Doolittle. I've amazed people with how well I can glean information from an animal, especially cats. Once, I visited a friend and her cat essentially told me that another cat, a younger one, had been in the house.
Cats can be hard to read, even emotionally.
One thing I notice myself not doing is smiling with teeth. I smile, but not with teeth. When I'm with an animal it just doesn't occur to me that I ought to, and I don't.
Shouldn't matter with dogs; they study people constantly, in order to better predict us and most of them surely realize that a human smile is a good thing for them.
I've learned the behaviour of slow-blinking to show being at ease or convey that there is no danger.
In cats and dogs, it signals trust, and possibly affection. It's pretty much the facial equivalent of turning on one's back.

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #8

Post by thomasdixon »

a loving smile you will not forget
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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #9

Post by thomasdixon »

Miles wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 4:31 pm .

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great post
Thanks
;)

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Re: Humans are the only animals that show their teeth in friendship

Post #10

Post by thomasdixon »

Tcg wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 11:06 pm [Replying to thomasdixon in post #1]

I've known dogs that smile, or at least seemingly do. I'm not sure that it was a sign of friendship though, it could simply be that they learned this was a good way to get fed.

I wonder about dolphins. Is this a sign of friendship?

Image


Tcg
Another great post!!!
My answer to your question is--
YES
:D

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