Drivers are twice as likely to stop for pedestrians who smile at them when they are trying to cross the road, according to new road safety survey.
In the study, researchers used crossings and open roads.
In both cases, a smile helped stop traffic. Faced with a smiling woman at a pedestrian crossing, 72% of male drivers stopped, compared to 38% for a sullen man.
Where there was no crossing, 36% of males stopped for a smiling woman, compared to 9% for a non-smiling man.
And nearly 40% of women drivers stopped for a grinning man, compared to 18% for a non-smiling man.
The study of 1,200 drivers also revealed motorists who had been smiled at drove away more slowly.
Writing in the Journal Of Safety Research, researchers said: ‘The smile received by the driver creates a good mood.’