A good friend of mine, Chris Fogg, a veteran trainer of using English to communicate, wrote me these simple and intuitive thoughts about why we smile. Have a read and let me know if you have any other ideas on the subject.
Why do we smile? Why is the smile of a young baby so delightful and engaging? Are the smiles of adults different from those of children? A smile is a valuable means of communication, so how can it be used? We smile because we are happy. Children’s smiles are delightful and engaging because they come from innocence – there is no ulterior motive other than to show us that what they can see or hear (taste does not interest us here) is giving them pleasure. We as adults sometimes smile for the same reason – it’s involuntary and natural – but we also do it because we could be using it to encourage someone to do something for us. We may be expecting a gift - we may be encouraging them to open up more and reveal something they seem to want to conceal – and sometimes it’s just because we want the other person to like us. So the smile is important in communication - whether we realize we’re doing it, or not. Chris Fogg
10 Comments
COMMENTS ABOUT A SMILE...I THINK A SMILE IS LIKE THE SUN. WHEN YOU SEE THE SUN, AFTER SOME RAINY OR CLOUDY DAYS YOU ARE HAPPY. WHEN YOU SEE A SMILE ABOVE ALL OF A FRIEND WHO YOU KNOW HAD SOME BAD DAYS YOU ARE VERY-VERY HAPPY!
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Walter
27/2/2011 12:33:30 am
Hi Chris,
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Cristina
28/2/2011 09:00:36 pm
Hi,
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Federica
2/3/2011 03:46:16 pm
I have two children, Jacopo and Davide.They have a contagious smile; Davide is four years old.He wakes up smiling.It's wonderful to begin a new day meeting a smile.Sometimes when I play with them we laugh without a reason, but only because we are happy to stay together
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Roberta
2/3/2011 05:06:36 pm
Smile is s wonderfull word.
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Chris Fogg
4/3/2011 01:42:56 am
Hello Walter, Thank you for your reaction. Yes I agree, a smile is more sincere than a laugh - generally. But don't come down too hard on the laugh. It can be a great "greaser" to the gears of the "machine" in communication. I use it in my lessons to help my students relax into the lesson - and Yes, I admit sometimes my laugh is a bit forced but only to help them to laugh too - it can be very contagious. I hate it though, when there are people who continually force their laugh and can never relax into a level of sincere communication to help reach the current objective of the meeting. If they can't laugh sincerely then they can't communicate sincerely - perhaps?
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Chris Fogg
4/3/2011 01:57:55 am
Hi Federica - Yes !!! That's exactly it !!! Thank you for your supporting ideas.
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Chris Fogg
4/3/2011 02:03:55 am
Hello Roberta - Thankyou for your reaction. I love you're idea of a smile giving energy. Very true ! When I start teaching at the beginning of a new year (after a 3 month break)I find that I come home full of energy - but also with a little pain in my cheek muscles - Why?.. because I've been smiling so much - and if you read my reaction to Walter - sometimes guilty of forcing it too...
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Emanuela
7/3/2011 02:00:29 am
Hy! This is an interesting discussion!
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Chris Fogg
8/3/2011 06:40:38 am
Yes, Emanuela - We need to learn from children - to realize from observing their curiosity the chance we have to re-discover the curiosity about the world that we had as children !
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