What makes a serene portrait look sad, mouth shape or eye shading?

[MarkR]

I’ve been working on a portrait where the subject’s expression is meant to be serene, but everyone who sees it says they look sad instead. I can’t figure out if it’s the slight downturn of the mouth I drew or the shadowing around the eyes that’s creating this unintended emotional tone.

[MarkQR]

I tried softening the downturn of the mouth and mellowing the eye shadows a bit, but the portrait still reads sad to most viewers.

[WilliamMJ]

The shadow around the eyes can really tilt the mood; when I lightened that area, the serenity showed up less as a vibe and more as a flat look, which I didn't want.

[Timothy.T]

Maybe it's not the mouth or the eyes at all—sometimes people bring their own mood to a portrait and project it onto the face.

[Richard_L]

I did a tiny test by nudging the light slightly to one side; the same expression suddenly felt calmer to me, though others still commented on sadness.

[Thomas.L]

I removed most contour lines around the mouth for a quick pass and then backed away from the canvas; the result wasn't dramatic, but the comments shifted a bit.

[Hannah30]

A friend pointed out that a bright catchlight can steal gravity; I tried a smaller highlight and the face stayed calm without looking aloof.

[AlexanderA]

Could the real issue be the context or the pose rather than the features themselves?