Most of the time, a smile on his face will last one or two seconds and not much longer. A smile lasting more than four seconds will almost always be either a sign of real ecstasy or simply political calculation. Watch him as he stands on the debate stage, smiling in the background as one of his rivals is fielding a question (especially a tough one). The social smile so readily adopted by Romney is, in truth, the mark of a businessman, which is of course part of his impressive resume. That's not to suggest that Romney isn't happy; he probably is. But the degree to which his smiles seem manufactured is more reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's smiles than those of any other major candidate.
Facing Off With the Candidates
Candidates in the 2008 presidential race never seem to stop talking, but is it possible that what their facial expressions tell us IS MORE revealing than what they actually say? In a TIME.com experiment Dan Hill, a recognized authority on facial coding, looks into each candidate's eyes for clues to their innermost thoughts.