In his Dictionary, Dr. Johnson defines smile as “a slight contraction of the face.” That’s accurate as far as it goes but might also describe the expression rendered by gas pains or the arrival of boring party guests. Faces are what we look at first and by nature we are equipped to read them and speculate as to the intent behind them. Even the toothiest smile – often signaling aggression among mammals – is at least briefly a welcome sign, though a purse-snatcher or used-car salesman also use smiles. Beware of the perpetual smile, the rictus. Most pleasing is the spontaneous smile when a friend or loved one sees us. It suggests we are a gift to them and their smile is a small, pleasing gift in return. There’s a lovely passage in Paradise Lost in which Adam says of Eve:
“. . . this sweet
intercourse
Of looks and smiles; for
smiles from reason flow,
To brute denied, and are
of love the food,
Love not the lowest end of
human life.”
My face in repose is not
smiling. As a newspaper reporter I learned to practice smiling. When I knocked
on the door of a private person never before interviewed, I wished to appear,
if not bubbly, at least not threatening. I know the impact an unexpected smile
can have on me. In “Saving Grace,” the English poet A.S.J. Tessimond (1902-62) celebrates
the simple human gift of a smile:
“Fish do not smile, nor
birds: their faces are not
Equipped for it. A smiling
dog’s the illusion
And wish-fulfilment of its
owner. Cats wear
Permanent smiles inspired
by mere politeness
But human animals at times
forget their
Godlike responsibilities;
the tension
Slackens, the weasel-sharp
intentness falters;
Muscles relax; the eyes
refrain from peering
Aside, before and after;
and the burden
Of detail drops from
forehead; cheekline gently
Creases; the mouth
wide-flowers; the stiff mask softens;
And Man bestows his simple,
unambitious,
Unservile, unselfseeking,
undeceptive,
Uncorrupt gift, the
grace-note of a smile.”
My older brother was a successful journalist, and the few times I accompanied him on interviews, I noticed his face changed as soon as the questions began: his eyes went dull, his jaw slackened, and he deliberately made himself appear somewhat dumb. Up until then, my tactic was always to impress the subject with how smart I was, and I got lousy interviews as a result. Greeting the subject with a tentative, not-too-hearty smile, and a simple-minded manner got better results.
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