An Entry Where I Sing
So there are secrets for being a true smile detective and the best technique there is involves looking at the eyes. There are muscles around our eyes (the orbicularis oculi) which create the real feeling expressed in our smiles. When real smiles are “activated� (not quite the word I was looking for, but it made me laugh (hah! I smiled writing this entry!)) the orbicularis oculi move and create a “twinkle� effect in our eyes. *starts singing “Irish Eyes are Smiling�*
I know that when I start looking at photographs to edit them, I don’t always look at the mouths. I look for expressive eyes. I can always spot the real smiles because of those eyes, and find that most of my really great pictures have NATURAL eyes and “twinkling� eyes. I use those and get astounding results once I start editing them. I love real smiles … and I have a few favorite tricks to GET people to smile. With children I start making monkey noises – who doesn’t laugh when an adult starts making monkey noises? With adults, if it’s just adults, instead of saying “Say cheese!� I ask them to “Say vagina!� It catches most adults completely off guard and I end up with a picture-full of smiling and laughing adults. I love it!
So, why did we develop a “fake� smile? Probably to protect ourselves. Many scienctists believe that we smile to “cement� bonds and ease tension. This may have sparked the uneasy feeling we get when we see someone faking their smile – we know that they are trying to hide something from us. Are they lying? Are they planning malice against us? Your goal for today is to start being a smile detective. Watch for people who aren’t really smiling – and then do something to make them smile!
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