They say it takes 17 muscles to produce a smile and 43 do something else What?

The claim that it takes 17 muscles to smile is not entirely accurate. While several muscles are involved in the act of smiling, the number can vary depending on the individual and the intensity of the smile. Typically, a genuine smile engages around 12 facial muscles, including the zygomatic major and minor muscles, which lift the corners of the mouth, and the orbicularis oculi muscles, which crinkle the eyes. As for the 43 muscles, there is no specific action or function attributed to that number in relation to facial expressions.