The turn-away smile...........................................................................
Turn your head down and away while looking upwards with your lips in a
sealed smile (as shown in Figure 6-5), and you can capture the hearts of all
who see you. By doing so you look young, playful, and secretive – a winning
combination.
Most men melt when a woman smiles coyly in their direction and women also
aren’t immune to the power of the smile that encapsulates both openness
and shyness. Parental instincts rise, making the recipient of this smile want
to shield and nurture the person gazing at him with this look.
According to Charles Darwin, the action of turning the head away from
another person while looking at him and smiling creates a ‘hybrid expres-
sion’, one that is composed of two opposite meanings. The smile signals wel-
come, whereas the motion of turning away conveys avoidance. The tension
that’s created by these two opposing actions is irresistibly appealing and
more powerful than its individual parts.
Figure 6-5:
The turn-
away smile
elicits
feelings of
care and
protection.
Chapter 6: Lip Reading 101