"Why That Cute Girl At the Bar Isn’t Smiling At You"

A recent study suggests that we always think smiling faces are meant for us but angry faces aren't. One explanation why:

From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense that we would think happy faces are directed toward us. Having such a bias would increase interactions with potential mates and lead to a higher chance of procreation. What makes less sense is the tendency to think angry faces are directed away from us. Protecting yourself from danger is nearly as crucial as mating, and therefore it would seem adaptive to overestimate the number of angry faces looking in your direction. If that big Neanderthal from the other tribe seems to be scowling at you, you should probably just assume he is and get the hell out of there. My guess would be that the tendency to think angry faces aren’t directed toward us is a result of more recently evolved emotional management skills. In the long run you’ll probably be happier if you assume all the fearful and angry faces you see have nothing to do with you.