New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani deployed a “fake smile” on the campaign trail to hide his “venomous” side – and New Yorkers self-deceived themselves into thinking his seemingly happy attitude was genuine, evolutionary psychologist and author Gad Saad argued on the latest episode of “Pod Force One.”
“What you’ve done in New York is a beautifully suicidally empathetic thing. You have elected a beautifully charismatic and smiley guy called Mamdani. Good luck to you. You’ve had a nice run,” Saad told “Pod Force One” host Miranda Devine.
New Yorkers were able to get a glimpse of the real Mamdani, according to the Concordia University professor, during the self-described socialist’s fiery victory speech last November.
“When in the minority, act meek and like a victim,” Saad said. “But once in the majority, look how I put up my finger – that’s a very Arabic thing – once in the majority, show no tolerance.”
“Smite at the neck, right?” he continued. “So, this fake smile suddenly turns into a venomous viper once I am in charge.”
Devine, Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and even “Saturday Night Live” have also suggested that Mamdani used a fake smile while campaigning in an apparent attempt to dismiss concerns about his agenda.
Saad argued that Mamdani’s grin has obvious “non-Duchenne” qualities, a trait studied and described by 19th-century French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne.
“When you are exhibiting an actual, genuine, authentic smile, that’s called a Duchenne smile, because it is activating certain facial muscles that could only occur if you are genuinely smiling,” the evolutionary psychologist explained. “A non-Duchenne smile is one that doesn’t capture that authenticity.”
Saad expressed shock that most New Yorkers never seemed to question Mamdani’s authenticity.
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“We all have a family member who, whenever we take family photos, is always exhibiting the non-Duchenne smile. So to me, it astounds me that people could be so imbecilic and lobotomized as to take something that is so gargantuan in its non-Duchenne quality and argue, ‘He’s got such a beautiful smile,’” he said.
“Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Part of the reason voters fell for it, according to Saad, is that they fell prey to their own “self-delusions.”
“Unless you’re a psychopath … when we lie, there are certain small, micro cues that serve as signals, as signatures of the fact that we are trying to deceive the other,” he explained, citing the work of another evolutionary biologist. “So, you will be very carefully looking for any of those signals in me to know whether I am truthful or not.”
“One of the ways I can ensure that those mechanisms are shut off is to first deceive myself.”
“So, I think there is a lot of that in what is happening with those who are unable to detect that Mamdani is a venomous lizard,” Saad argued.
