Smile Like You Mean It
Do you want to smile, and not smile fake? Want to have a great big beamer? Read on to find out how!
Contents
Steps
- Think of your happiest memory. Maybe it's a holiday with your family where you had a laugh, or your first kiss... whatever it is, think back to it and just wait for the smile to creep onto your face.
- Amuse yourself. Read a joke book or funny story, watch a comedy, or hang out with some naturally funny people.
- Make yourself laugh. Do something that you used to do when you were little, like dancing in the rain, or making sandcastles. Just acting like a little kid again will make you grin!
- Forget about all the bad things for a second and think about everything good in your life. You might be surprised how much you have to smile for. You have a life full of adventures!
- Get on the Internet, search for stories about people who overcame illnesses, or brave people who saved lives. Read stories about achievements, successes and bravery, and it should make you smile.
- Do something that makes you feel proud of yourself. Study for a test and pass, donate to charity, or do a sponsored run; whatever it is, it should leave you tingling with a feeling of 'I did something good'. Nothing makes you smile more!
- Think, "This person one of my best friends." and you know how happily you react and interact with your best friend with relaxed and happy smiles.
- Don't talk about your smiling techniques to new friends, or you will seem odd and off-base.
- Fake a smile for 30 mins and then you will realize you are smiling for real!
- Think positively about your self, what weird things did you do; did you tell your crush you like him, or did you lie down in the rain?
Tips
- Try not to smile so long that your cheeks hurt. This is not Toy Story and you are not a Barbie or Ken doll. If you smile that long and that enthusiastically, it is likely that people will realize you are forcing your smile, start to wonder what is wrong with you, and/or think you are creepy.
- Sometimes, less really is more. Smile with your cheeks, eyes or, better yet, smile from your heart (reacting naturally) with enthusiasm.
- Be yourself! Sometimes, you can just be around friends, other people and smile naturally!
- The more relaxed you are, the bigger you will smile.
- Relax your face with quick smiles, not grinning. Keep attitudes light, quick, not strangely continuous.
- Don't smile a weird smile that will make people freak out, unless you make it clear that you are being funny or acting by saying "I'm being funny." or such...
- Smile and laugh lines will look okay... like your skin is lived in, nicely.
- You may find it helpful to "sweep you hand across your brow, forehead and your cheek" (for one or two seconds) to see whether you are furrowing your brow by frowning/grinning without realizing it.
- Pretend you are creating a Patronus. It may seem goofy and stupid but the underlying concept is the same – the situation or person is your Dementor, and you want to protect yourself and drive it away whether “it” is embarrassment or the desire to create a good first impression.
- In order for you to smile like you mean it, you need a happy memory – preferably a memory that inspired genuine happiness. The happier you want to appear, the stronger the memory you need.
- Once you have your happy moment, hold onto it. Let that happiness expand and fill you up. Lose yourself in that happy memory and smile. Chances are that you will end up smiling like you mean it because you are feeling genuinely happy at that moment.
- Stay focused. Remember that (usually) you can only genuinely smile like you mean it if you are feeling genuinely happy. Ignore the fact that you may not be happy to be there. If you allow yourself to get distracted by negative thoughts like “I wish I was not here”, your smile might look fake or strained.
- Push those distracting thoughts to the back of your mind and focus on your happy memory. Remember that you can always express those feelings later.
- Think long and hard about the curve of your mouth, how your lips curl, and so on.
- Thinking of something great and/or how lucky you have been in the past can help you smile.
- If you find you really can't smile genuinely, a small gesture can help, such as laughing slightly, or gasping the way you think the other person would want you to react, etc.
Warning
- Frowning or puckering and "pursing the lips" cause hard wrinkles.
