My plan to review Annie on My Mind (1982) as my first for #CBR6 did not go according to plan. That's because last weekend, I went on a trip to the New England Mobile Book Fair (not mobile and not a fair but more like a fabulous warehouse / bookstore for bibliophiles) and left with two purchases, Why Smile?: The Science Behind Facial Expressions (2011) by Marianne LaFrance being one of them and which trumped my reading interest for the week.Last summer, a client of my locktician, bemoaning the tenuous and clearly declining state of her relationship, began to strategize how she would make herself open to the possibilities of a new relationship. Number one on her list was to smile.
After highlighting the benefits of smiling, I was challenged to smile more and to take note of how others respond to me. Truth be told, as the conversation about smiling and her eventual challenge came about, I wondered whether the whole conversation was really a subversive way to let me know about myself since I didn't have my "best" face on when I entered my locktician's work studio and found her client sitting there. Since my stylist works from home and the process of doing my hair is a two hour affair, I did not look forward to having to make conversation with a person I was not familiar with. An introvert, I generally feel inept at making small talk with new people.
According to my cousin, I am one of those with a "resting b---- face." And so, I took on the challenge to smile more because my lack of a smiling face has caused others--at first--to misread and misunderstand me. Added to the fact that I am introverted, let's just say that until people get to know me, they perceive and react to me in the same way that Mr. Darcy is perceived in Pride and Prejudice (1813). In today's world (in America, at least, based on the information from Why Smile?), it pays to have the personality and facial expression of Mr. Bingley. In addition, I was curious to see whether putting on a smile (just because) would impact others' responses to me. The answer? Yes.
I can't say I've done well of late with the challenge, though. Thing is, I don't really like smiling just for the sake of making other people feel at ease--even though I've got a freaking great smile! Why should I mask how I'm really feeling by smiling? Having finished Why Smile? I wonder whether the expectation that I do smile is based on social expectations of how I should behave as a female. After all, no one would have a problem with and think to challenge a man to "put on a happy face."
My locktician and her client had already given me their anecdotes of the benefits of smiling. so I picked up this book to find out what science has to say. The information included were quite enlightening. Find out why by reading my review of the book.
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