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Railway Workers Get Daily Smile Scans

Posted by samzenpus on from the *_* dept.

More than 500 workers at Japan's, Keihin Electric Express Railway, must have their faces scanned each morning to determine their optimum smile. The "smile scan" analyzes a smile based on facial characteristics, from lip curves and eye movements to wrinkles. After the program scans you, it produces a smile rating that ranges from zero to 100 depending on the estimated potential of your biggest smile. If your number is sufficient, you can go about your day grinning like a maniac. If your smile number is too low the computer will give you a message such as, "lift up your mouth corners" or "you still look too serious." Every morning employees receive a printout of their daily smile which they are expected to keep with them throughout the day.

3 of 385 comments (clear)

  1. Japan is insane. by Trinexx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What the hell is wrong with the Japanese? What practical purpose does this serve?

    1. Re:Japan is insane. by Ohio+Calvinist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      While it is kind of creepy, having worked in Technical Support, I found that when I made myself smile, even when I was furiously angry or irritated, it helped me "be" more friendly and attentive to my callers, than when I frowned, or wrapped my phone cord around my neck like a noose, etc...

      When you are in customer service, it makes a huge difference, and belive it or not, it often makes a huge difference to customers who expect that you don't care about them and are just jockeying the time clock. Perception is everything.

      However, rather than doing this, it might be better to just talk to the employee if you see them routinely looking like they ate a lemon.

      --
      Forgive my spelling from time to time. I'm often posting during short breaks.
  2. Pretty much by Unoriginal_Nickname · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The only first-world country with no laws about racial persecution. They are signatories to all of the applicable treaties, of course, but the national and prefecture governments have been playing hot potato with the blame for never ratifying any of them. Meanwhile you have employment, products and services that are unobtainable unless you are a Japanese citizen, born in Japan, pure-blooded Japanese, never lived outside of Japan and also fortunate enough for none of your ancestors to have butchered an animal or buried a dead body.

    Mod parent up.