Friday 21 August 2009

SMILES APART

When they are meeting, people include smiling in their friendly greeting.
Smiling is a nice thing to do, but it can be self-defeating
Especially if you do it and forget that you are eating.
In certain cultures, showing your teeth can be seen as a threat,
Irrespective of the condition or the cleanness of your set.
Similarly, smiling for no apparent reason makes others quite upset.
Beginning grinning on inappropriate occasions also makes them fret,
This facial signal, conveying happiness, is not always welcome, you can bet…
At funerals where there are frowns,
By the seaside if someone drowns,
In reaction to a tragedy, smiling doesn’t work,
In fact, it makes you look and feel insensitive and a silly berk.

Use smiles cautiously to avoid alienation and guilt,
Be careful to observe the rituals, on which our gestures are built,
To avoid embarrassment and possible social exclusion.
Practise smiling properly so your smile’s never out of place,
Rehearse until it never looks forced on your smiling face.
Try ‘safe’ smiling at home when there’s no one there,
You might find a mirror useful in helping you prepare.
With patient application to these exercises, you’ll find the kind expression you need,
For accompanying lip-curling motions that are bound to succeed,
In satisfying the expectations of others so you—and they—feel safe.
Oh, and try using a lip gel so your smiling lips don’t chafe.