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Look to the Eyes
Everyone knows, from the time they’re a few months old, that a smile means a person is happy and a frown means they’re sad. But who exactly decided that, may I ask? Who decided that when your lips turn down you’re upset and when they turn up you’re delighted? Because I’d like to have a word with them.
If we try to frown but make our eyes happy, we encounter some difficulty. Why? Not because a frown automatically makes your eyes incapable of mirth. Just because we’re taught: smile=happy, frown=sad. What if people said, just do whatever you feel like when you’re happy? What if there had never been the concept of fixed facial expressions? Some people would probably frown. Some people would probably smile. Those who are unobservant might be hopelessly confused.
But here is my advice: Look at their eyes. The eyes don’t lie. Whether the person was smiling or frowning, if their eyes were happy, they were happy. If the eyes were sad, they were sad. Your eyes are like small channels to the soul, reflecting your mood in their glassy surfaces. So if you want to know if someone is happy or sad, don’t look to the lips; look to the eyes.
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This article has 61 comments.
i really enjoyed this piece- i myself have thought about that concept but never considered writing about it or expanding on the idea. you articulated it beautifully- it was a joy to read. I think you could take this piece even farther by talking about other automatic reactions human beings have to things and what they mean
great work!
Thanks! And lol, yeah I know.
Just a question--could you possibly check out my article Gymnastics Is My Life? I accidentally posted anonymously, so if you do advanced search, it's under nonfiction personal experience.
