When researchers analyzed more than 16,000 yearbook photographs from kindergarten to college, including faculty and staff, there was no significant difference in smiling until age eight or nine, but then the gap started to widen with girls smiling much more than boys.
By the time the subjects were 14 years old, the difference between girls and boys peaked, with girls smiling more frequently and more broadly than boys, and this remained consistent over adulthood.
These gender roles can also be internalized from film and media representations where smiling is perceived to be more feminine, while seriousness is seen as a characteristic of 'masculinity'.
#societal-expectations #gender-roles #emotional-development #expression-disparities #media-influence
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