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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Midd...'
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==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English]; akin to [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] smerian to [[laugh]], [[Sanskrit]] smayate he smiles
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_century 14th Century]
==Definitions==
*1: to have, produce, or [[exhibit]] a smile
*2a : to look or regard with amusement or ridicule <smiled at his own [[folly]] — Martin Gardner>
:b : to [[bestow]] approval <[[feeling]] that [[Heaven]] smiled on his labors — Sheila Rowlands>
:c : to appear pleasant or [[agreeable]]
==Description==
A '''smile''' is a [[facial]] [[expression]] formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth. The smile can also be found around the eyes. Among [[humans]], it is an [[expression]] denoting [[pleasure]], [[joy]], [[happiness]], or amusement, but can also be an involuntary [[expression]] of [[anxiety]], in which case it is known as a ''grimace''. Smiling is something that is [[understood]] by everyone despite [[culture]], [[race]], or [[religion]]; it is internationally known. Cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is a means of [[communicating]] [[emotions]] throughout the world. But there are large [[differences]] between different [[cultures]]. A smile can also be [[spontaneous]] or [[artificial]].
==The act of smiling==
From a [[friendly]] smile to a more [[romantic]] smile, there are many [[different]] smiles and different ways the [[act]] of smiling can be done. “Smiles can [[communicate]] [[feelings]] as different as [[love]] or [[contempt]], pride or submission, [[flirtatiousness]] or polite [[tolerance]].” The act of smiling may often be induced by showing [[kindness]]. To give someone something to smile about, we might take someone’s [[mind]] off their [[problems]] by conversing with them, giving them some [[attention]], or even telling them a joke. Next time you want to put a smile on someone’s [[face]], either [[perform]] an act of kindness or [[think]] of a [[stress]] reliever.
==Social behavior==
“Service with a Smile”---This has always been at the core of American businesses since the beginning of the 1900s. [[Research]] continually [[proves]] that this is true; smiling really does increase [[attractiveness]] and likability between [[humans]]. In [[fact]], people who tend to smile produce what is called the [[halo]] effect, which correlates with greater [[trust]], greater financial earnings, and increased interpersonal [[cooperation]]. In a time of increased stress due to cutbacks, high [[debt]], and increasing [[family]] issues, employees are often required to work with a distressed public. However, a smile tends to convey [[respect]], [[patience]], [[empathy]], [[hospitality]] and [[compassion]]. For example, when an employee smiles at a stressed customer, and [[exhibits]] excellent [[listening]] [[skills]], most of the time, there is a report of total customer [[satisfaction]]. Research also reports that people [[receive]] more help when they smile. Even the smile of a stranger produces more “Good Samaritan” [[effects]] on the receiver. When you smile, even [[memory]] retrieval of your name is enhanced as is shown in neuroscience research, versus people who have neutral [[facial]] [[expressions]].
==Cultural differences==
While most often, smiling is [[perceived]] as a [[positive]] [[emotion]], there are many countries that perceive smiling as a [[negative]] [[expression]] and consider it unwelcoming. Too much smiling can be viewed as a sign of shallowness or dishonesty. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese Japanese] may smile when they are [[confused]] or [[angry]]. In other parts of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia Asia], people may smile when they are [[embarrassed]]. Some people may smile at others to indicate a [[friendly]] greeting. A smile may be reserved for close [[friends]] and [[family]] members. Many people in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia Russia] consider smiling at strangers in [[public]] to be unusual and even [[suspicious]] [[behavior]]. Yet many [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans Americans] smile freely at strangers in [[public]] places (although this is less common in big [[cities]]). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans [[believe]] that Russians don't smile enough. In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia Southeast Asian] [[cultures]], a smile is frequently used to cover [[emotional]] [[pain]] or [[embarrassment]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese Vietnamese] people may tell the sad [[story]] of how they had to leave their country but end the [[story]] with a smile.
==Hidden emotions within smiling==
[[Happiness]] is most often the [[motivating]] [[cause]] of a smile. However, there are many exceptions, especially among animals. The [[exposure]] of teeth, which may bear a resemblance to a smile, is often used as a threat or [[warning]] display—known as a snarl—or a sign of submission. For chimpanzees, it can also be a sign of [[fear]]. The study of smiles is a part of gelotology, [[psychology]], and [[linguistics]], comprising various [[theories]] of affect, [[humor]], and [[laughter]]. Smiling can also be [[interpreted]] as nervousness in an [[animal]] - humans also smile as a result of nervousness and even [[embarrassment]]. In one [[study]], created to investigate the [[correspondence]] between [[perceived]] meanings of smiles and their morphological and dynamic characteristics, it was found that “perceived embarrassed/nervous smiles had greater amplitude, longer duration…related to those perceived as polite.” Work by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman John Gottman] has shown that smiling and other such [[expressions]] of [[positive]] [[emotions]] are important to shaping [[relationships]] with others; [[researchers]] could [[predict]] the [[quality]] of marriages many years into the [[future]] based on the [[number]] of such [[interactions]].

[[Category: Psychology]]
[[Category: Sociology]]

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