Studies conducted by Professors Marvin Hecht and Marianne La France at
Boston University indicate that the smile is a submissive signal. People in
subordinate roles tend to smile more in the company of those who are more
dominant, or in superior roles.When you’re interacting with other people, smile. The impact this gesture
has on people’s attitudes is amazingly positive and it influences their
response to you.Douglas was stopped for speeding and had to go to the Magistrates’ Court to
be sentenced. Before going to court he spoke with Al, a lawyer friend, who
advised him to smile when offering his apology. Al said that both judge and
jury are more inclined to be lenient when the defendant smiles. He also said
that as long as the smile is there, whether it’s genuine or fake is unimportant.
What really matters is that people smile at the right time, rather than the
smile being real or merely pretence.The tight-lipped smile ..........................................................................
Stretch your lips in a straight line across your face without exposing your teeth
(see Figure 6-3) and think of the Mona Lisa, whose smile implies the harbouring
of secrets, the restraining of attitude, or the concealment of thoughts. And you
know there’s no way she’s going to make known her mystery to you. That’s
what’s known as the tight-lipped smile.According to one study, women interpret the tight-lipped smile as a sign of
rejection.Pick up any business magazine and you’re greeted by the sealed smile of the
professional chief executive. In his cover article the man promises to reveal
his secrets to success. In truth, he tells you nothing you don’t already know.Julia is seldom heard speaking ill of another person. This doesn’t mean that
she doesn’t see the full picture of what someone’s like, but whatever she
thinks, she keeps to herself. She avoids gossiping and sidesteps potentially
awkward social interactions with aplomb. Not long ago I observed her prais-
ing the positive attributes, talents, and characteristics of a mutual acquain-
tance. When someone else in the conversation talked about the less
salubrious characteristics of this other person, Julia sealed her lips tightly in
a closed mouth smile and said not another word on the subject. Although
Julia undoubtedly had similar thoughts, she kept them to herself.98 Part II: Starting at the Top