Humans are the only creatures on earth who smile, giggle, and laugh.1 No species of primates, from which we are said to have evolved, exhibits these behaviours. This is not a minor distinction between humans and apes. At the heart of the human smile are three elements that reflect our creation in the image of God, not in the image of an ape.
Element one – mechanics
Humans have approximately fifty facial muscles that enable them to express emotion without speaking. Apes possess fewer than thirty.2 They lack muscles attached to the corners of the mouth, which prevents them from smiling. Even if such muscles were present, they would be of no use without the corresponding nerves. Humans possess the necessary neural pathways that allow us to produce a smile.
However, muscles and nerves are not enough. Another element of this puzzle is needed.
Element two – software
The fact that even very young infants can smile suggests that we are born with an innate capacity for it. Our facial muscles serve as hardware, connected by nerve pathways, while the brain functions as a system containing pre-installed software. This system transmits signals that regulate how far and for how long particular muscles contract or relax, enabling us to smile or frown.
The question remains: why do we need this ability?
Element three – purpose
According to the theory of evolution, every distinct trait in a living organism developed because it was necessary for survival. Yet thousands of animals, including apes, have survived without the ability to smile and without the approximately twenty specialised facial muscles involved in this expression. If smiling is not essential for the survival of chimpanzees, it raises the question of why it would be essential for humans.3
Professor of engineering at the University of Bristol, Stuart Burgess, described the uniqueness of human facial muscles in the following words:
‘Evolution cannot offer any credible reasons why humans had to develop the ability to create such complex expressions. However, such facial muscles are exactly what one would expect from a Creator who wanted humans to be emotional beings.’4
Conclusion
The ingenious design of muscles, nerves, and the software managing them, as well as the specific purpose of expressing emotions through smiles, all support the view that humanity was created in the image of God.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
- Are Vestigial Organs Evidence for Evolution?
- Did Evolution Create Beauty and Aesthetics?
- Bird Intelligence: Chance or Design?
- DNA: Comparing Humans and Chimpanzees
- Did Dragons Exist in the Middle Ages?
Footnotes
- Thomas, B. (2011) ‘Animal Play Continues to Evade Evolutionary Explanation’, Creation Science Update, 18 January. ICR.org.
- Gregory, W.K. (ed.) (1950) The Anatomy of the Gorilla: the studies of Henry Cushier Raven, and contributions by William B. Atkinson and others. New York: Columbia University Press, p. 17.
- Sherwin, F. (2004) ‘The Origin of Laughter’, Acts & Facts, 33(7).
- Burgess, S. (2014) ‘Overdesign in the human being with a case study of facial expressions’, Journal of Creation, 28(1), p. 103.
Based on: B. Thomas, Why don’t chimps smile?, Acts & Facts, Institute for Creation Research, July 2017, p. 20.
© Source of main image: Canva.
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