Is a Smile a Smile Even When It's Not Seen?

Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections: The Kitchen Sink: Science Related: Biology, Genetics, etc.: Is a Smile a Smile Even When It's Not Seen?

By Admin on Wednesday, January 13, 1999 - 9:39 pm:

Amos Painter: Do blind people smile naturally? I was watching a sociology show, and they were discussing the evolution of smiling, about it being a mock hostility symbol by showing one's teeth, anyway, I wondered if blind people smile because it is a natural thing or is it an effort? I mean, is smiling a genetic thing, or a display we gain though society, that we learn as babies?

I hope this question doesn't like a silly sounding question to you, but sometimes I get ideas in my head and just need answers.

Phil: A mock hostility symbol?! In MONKEYS maybe! ;-) (And yes, it is a hostility symbol in monkey. Just a little tip from someone who grew up in a country where there were wild monkey. Don't give monkeys a big toothed grin!)

As far a humans go however, I would guess that there is some innate connection between an emotion state and smiling but I have no direct information on the matter!


By Omer on Thursday, January 14, 1999 - 7:57 am:

In my psy 103 course, a theory was presented that the emotion is created by the action, and not the other way around. in other words, we are sad beczse we cry, and not the other way around. I no longer remember the people behind this theory, but I know that most psyvhologists in the field agree that theere is some validity to their claim. If so, then blind men probably DO smile :-)


By Mei on Friday, January 22, 1999 - 9:46 pm:

I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. I'm often sad, but I never cry. Does that mean I'm not really sad?


By Omer on Saturday, January 23, 1999 - 5:44 am:

no... but you have other symptoms of sadness, facial expression and so on. and it's not a hundred precent true... people have inner feelings as well... but to a degree it's effected by expressions


By Hans Thielman on Monday, January 25, 1999 - 1:52 pm:

As Kor said in "Errand of Mercy," never trust people who smile too much.


By Promenade Merchants Association on Thursday, February 18, 1999 - 1:12 pm:

Don't laugh or smile. The Vulcan Chulok may be watching.


By Scott McClenny on Friday, March 05, 1999 - 9:00 am:

Speaking of which and I know this is off the
subject but:
how much attraction between two people is
taste,how much is pheremones,and how much is
genetics?


By Omer on Tuesday, March 09, 1999 - 6:03 am:

its all the same


By constanze on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - 7:35 am:

As far as I remember my biology at school, the argument that smiling is inherited, not learned, is that blind children, who have disfigured hands (so they can't see or feel a smile by somebody else) do smile. It's part of the human behaviour and truly universal, not learned, which would result in cultural differences, too.


By Blue being way too literal Berry on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - 2:09 pm:

If a curling of lips occurs in amanner where photons are not refelted off of it to a seeing organ which transmits signals to an intelligence organ which interprets the culing of lips as a smile, then a curling of lips occured but was not interpreted as meaning anything like "smile."


By Jeff Winters (Jeff1980) on Tuesday, October 03, 2023 - 4:22 pm:

Can deaf people hear themselves think ?


By Tim McCree (Tim_m) on Wednesday, October 04, 2023 - 5:36 am:

Can Jeff Winters cease and desist with these pointless posts?


By Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Wednesday, October 04, 2023 - 3:26 pm:

Jeff, Today I Found Out did a video on that.


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