The Student Room Group

You could try smiling...

I'm generally a very cheery person, I have a good laugh, I have nice teeth etc etc, but sometimes if I'm not talking to anyone: for example I could be sat down in a cafe/club/bus just generally looking around, sometimes people say to me "you could try smiling" or "smile" (this is people I don't know). Thing is, do people expect me to walk round with a fixed grin on my face. This happened to me last night. I went to a club and some of my friends were up dancing, and me and this other guy were sat down as we didn't feel like dancing. He tapped me on the shoulder and said "you could try smiling". It always feels like its me people say this too. I don't look like any angry person lol. Does anyone else have this to them a lot? Its starting to make me paranoid now.

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Reply 1

Is it mainly guys? And are they mainly your kind of age? And if you've answered yes to those two, consider the possibility that they are (by the sounds of things not very well) trying to hit on you.

Reply 2

my mum and friends always tell me that I look angry...like im gonna kill someone. I smile when I'm happy, but at times when I don't have particular emotions then my natural face supposedly makes me look miserable/unhappy, but I can't just put on a fake smile to change my expression.

Reply 3

If people did that to me it would make me even more angry/upset etc.

Reply 4

Sehnsucht
Is it mainly guys? And are they mainly your kind of age? And if you've answered yes to those two, consider the possibility that they are (by the sounds of things not very well) trying to hit on you.


Funnily enough they are guys practically all the time. I don't re-call any females saying it to me. As for you other question, the ages vary from my age (18) to 30 - 40 year olds I guess.

Reply 5

JaneNorman
Funnily enough they are guys practically all the time. I don't re-call any females saying it to me. As for you other question, the ages vary from my age (18) to 30 - 40 year olds I guess.

Yeah well there you go then. Because let's face it, in general women are far more socially observant about little details like this. If it's guys, they are hitting on you.

Reply 6

Iron_Duke
my mum and friends always tell me that I look angry...like im gonna kill someone. I smile when I'm happy, but at times when I don't have particular emotions then my natural face supposedly makes me look miserable/unhappy, but I can't just put on a fake smile to change my expression.


I look the same (naturally) and also because I usually am angry at something.

Reply 7

Iron_Duke
my mum and friends always tell me that I look angry...like im gonna kill someone. I smile when I'm happy, but at times when I don't have particular emotions then my natural face supposedly makes me look miserable/unhappy, but I can't just put on a fake smile to change my expression.


Ditto ^

Reply 8

Maybe people use this line to fill an awkward silence or maybe as some sort of Ice breaker ???

Dont take it personally if you are happy just laugh it off.

Reply 9

I smile and laugh loads...I'm generally a smiling person. And quite a lot of the time I put on a fake smile to please people because as soon as my face looks remotely angry/unhappy I get everyone saying that I should smile... :confused:
I can't smile all the time!!!

Reply 10

Sehnsucht
If it's guys, they are hitting on you.

What a crap chat-up line. I can only see that working 1-3% of the time.

Reply 11

cutandpasteandtwisty
What a crap chat-up line. I can only see that working 1-3% of the time.

Depends how you do it... but yeah - "lines" in general = a bit lame I reckon.

Reply 12

People say that to me all the time. I'm mostly expressionless, for some reason my emotions rarely show on my face. Also, my mouth naturally curves downward slightly when i'm expressionless so i always look sad. I can get quite p*ssed off when people tell me to smile, it's just very annoying. I don't like how people go around making assumptions about others, and if you're truly sad, forcing a smile won't help you feel better anyway, if anything, it's an added burden. I also can't fake smile... People think i'm mean :frown:.

Reply 13

Punch them in the face, then smile.

Reply 14

hmm i'm usually a very happy person and smile a lot but this has happened to me a few times as well. usually when i'm like, stood on my own and just thinking about something/waiting for someone in a bar/club, someone will come up to me and say like 'smileee!!' or 'cheer up!!' (usually some weird pervy looking guy) and i'll be like eh! and then usually do a crazy big psycho smile to scare them off.

Reply 15

When i sit on the checkout at work looooads of people come up to me and say 'cheer up' or 'not long to go' which really annoys me because why would i be happy and grinning if i've been sitting at a till for 5 hours? I'm a generally annoyed/angry person anyway so i guess they have a point of telling me to smile but it gets to me anyway.

Reply 16

I also get it all the time...but Im also told I am a very funny person at the same time..
I attribute it to the following:
1. I only show natural emotion...and even this is rare.
2. I have a dry sense of humour n find smiling about silly things difficult.
3. I think deeply about things most of the time and so my natural thoughtful expression is usually displayed.

Guess its just the way I am..bt ye can be a bit annoying as people think u may be sad or woteva..o well..if u do make the effort to smile at people wen ur out and about it does sumtimes make u feel better..but just know that most people have to make a concious effort to smile as well.

Regards

Reply 17

i get this all the time at college. if no one is talking to me i just don't smile and people always come up and ask if i am ok and tell me to smile. yeah it is quite annoying i mean who sits by them self and smiles- people would probably think i was weird! don't worry about it just smile politely then stop thats what i do.

Reply 18

I smile ALL the time, i smile when im talking - its just natural! But my friend doesnt smile all the time - she just says she'd looking stupid with a smile on all the time, and its true! It suits some people and others it doenst, wouldnt worry about it! :p:

Reply 19

I smile when I joke with friends and thats about it. I didn't smile when I passed my driving test or Bike test. It's too much like hard work to look happy.