Smile Detectors...

Creon

Creon

Community Member
MBTI
Lawful Evil
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8146078.stm

Rail staff face 'smile police'


A Japanese rail firm has introduced a system to check that staff are smiling enough at all times.

Computerised scanners around 15 Tokyo stations will measure the smile's curvature to ensure it is broad enough.
Those failing to measure up - literally - will be advised to look less serious and more cheerful.

The system will also be introduced at a hospital in Osaka to check staff friendliness and at a truck stop to measure the tiredness of drivers.

It is standard practice, our correspondent explains, for smartly-dressed train conductors to bow as customers enter and leave train carriages.
The software has been developed by Japanese firm Omron.
They suggests that future applications may include shops - where they could be positioned to measure the reaction of customers to products on display.
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I don't know whether I wanna laugh or cry...
 
Well for one, I wouldn't work their in the first place.

It seems like japanese culture still has the sigma about not showing true emotion to others, being seen as "improper". I wonder if that will ever change. I'm very glad I don't live in that socieity.
 
Wyst said:
This is good for customer service and as long as the machine can't detect if people are flipping it off while smiling, I say go for it.
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While it is good for customer service. Don't you think this is extremely unfair to employees? For one, a computer can't mesure true happiness in a person, and unless the computer is designed to pick up on the difference between a real and fake smile, then it isn't even worth it. People can easily pick up on the difference between genuine warmth, and fake warmth.
 
IndigoSensor said:
While it is good for customer service. Don't you think this is extremely unfair to employees? For one, a computer can't mesure true happiness in a person, and unless the computer is designed to pick up on the difference between a real and fake smile, then it isn't even worth it. People can easily pick up on the difference between genuine warmth, and fake warmth.
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Haha - I was being sarcastic (the part about the flipping the machine off). Yeah, I agree that it'd be unfair.

I lived in Japan for about 2.5 years and you're right that there is a stigma about showing genuine emotion. It's not just a general society expetation but even plays a major part in relationships between SOs and married couples... wtf!

I used to think it'd be cool to marry a Japanese girl but now.... not too sure about it. She'd have to have spent some serious time in western society and loosen up a little more with her emotions.
 
IndigoSensor said:
Well for one, I wouldn't work their in the first place.

It seems like japanese culture still has the sigma about not showing true emotion to others, being seen as "improper". I wonder if that will ever change. I'm very glad I don't live in that socieity.
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Yeah me neither.

How did it come to this? Dressing codes, control over behaviours and now even control over emotions? How is that any different than slavery? Actually, It's worse. Slaves could at least be angry.
 
Creon said:
Yeah me neither.

How did it come to this? Dressing codes, control over behaviours and now even control over emotions? How is that any different than slavery? Actually, It's worse. Slaves could at least be angry.
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I think we would have to dig very very far into the past to know for sure. It seems like one of those things that started from a very small group of people in the beginning, and then just snowballed from there and was latched onto.

It isn't the same thing as slavery. People do have the option to buck this and go against it and be themselves. The new generation there seems to be doing this more now.

I'm actually surprizes the country doesn't have extreme social problems. I read peoples facial expression alot to figure out how to act around them, and I know I am not the only one who does this. Over there, it seems like this isn't a possibillity for people. You would think this would lead to alot of passive agressive acts, and over all anger to one another.
 
A world of forcibly smiling people sounds creepy.
My smiling muscles hurt just thinking about it! :m065:
 
IndigoSensor said:
I'm actually surprizes the country doesn't have extreme social problems. I read peoples facial expression alot to figure out how to act around them, and I know I am not the only one who does this. Over there, it seems like this isn't a possibillity for people. You would think this would lead to alot of passive agressive acts, and over all anger to one another.
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Yeah. I guess they keep them sedated with other stuff (Hentai :P). Although it is true that Japan has some of the weirdest disorders. I remember an anime I saw, Welcome to the NHK, who was dealing with many strange disorders who seemed to be Japan-exclusive.


IndigoSensor said:
It isn't the same thing as slavery. People do have the option to buck this and go against it and be themselves. The new generation there seems to be doing this more now.
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New generations are always bearers of hope when it comes to social matters.
But what about those middle aged people who work there? Do they have a choice really? It's "conform or you're fired" for them. I don't know.
 
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They should spend the money on staff payrises and thankyou notes for doing a good job, flowers, cards and presents at Christmas and Birthdays and they might find the staff would smile of their own accord.
 
Helpful Elf said:
They should spend the money on staff payrises and thankyou notes for doing a good job, flowers, cards and presents at Christmas and Birthdays and they might find the staff would smile of their own accord.
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Good point Elf!
 
Creon said:
Yeah me neither.

How did it come to this? Dressing codes, control over behaviours and now even control over emotions? How is that any different than slavery? Actually, It's worse. Slaves could at least be angry.
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You bein angry at your massa boi?
Woooowee, someone's gunna get a beltin'

You'sa lucky we ain gun lynch you boi.
 
I can see how the supervisor-employee conversations would go down.
Supervisor: "You failed the smile test. Again. One more failure and you're done"

Employee: <forced smile> "Oh I'm having a wonderful day. Such a wonderful day. I guess I should go back home to my cat. Wait, she died this morning and I found out about it right before the check. Wow. I guess I should go back to being happy shouldn't I."
 
Gaffa tape. Tape your cheeks to resemble a smile. You'll pass every time.
 
That reminds me of this article: "Outcasts quickly spot a fake smile"

Smile and the world smiles with you. Fake it and the recently divorced, socially unpopular and romantically rejected will be onto you.

This is the conclusion of a new study that shows people who have been cast off or excluded have an enhanced ability to determine whether the "happy" face before them is genuine or feigned.

Researchers from Miami University found subjects who were manipulated to feel rejection were able to tell a fake smile from a real one roughly 80 per cent of the time, while the odds of doing so among people with a sense of inclusion were only slightly better than chance.

continued: http://www.canada.com/topics/lifest....html?id=6adc0f50-cd02-4ba8-950d-38b7523b0b27
 
Well, that is one way to make sure someone is smiling... not the best though because you want a genuine smile versus a fake smile.
 
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