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Smiling ID photos help spot identity fraud, study says
Smiling ID photos makes matching a face easier, according to a University of York study.
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A new study reveals that smiling in ID photos helps matching faces easier. (Shutterstock/File)
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recent study by the University of York has discovered that ID photographs with an open-mouth smile makes face matching easier, which helps prevent identity fraud.
The research team conducted three studies. The first study required 40 participants to match 60 unfamiliar images of neutral facial expressions with an open-mouth smiling face. The second study asked participants to compare neutral expressions with images of a closed-mouth smiling face. Meanwhile, the final study required 34 participants to match images that only displayed the lower part of the face.
Read also: Tips to prevent identity theft when traveling
The study discovered that the participants’ success in matching two images of the same person was higher when the photographs displayed an open-mouth smile, compared with photographs showing a neutral face expression or a closed-mouth smile.
The analysis also found a 9 percent improvement in performance for smiling images when comparing two images of the same person.
Lead researcher Dr Mila Mileva said, “Our research suggests that replacing the neutral expression we usually use when taking identification photographs with an open-mouth smile can make face matching an easier decision.
“As soon as there’s a mismatch in emotional expression – comparing a smiling and a neutral image for example – the matching accuracy drops substantially.” (jes/kes)
