Body Language

The closed-lip grin..............................................................................

The closed-lip grin is a restraining or concealing gesture, hiding bad teeth or

covering up information. In the closed-lip grin, you hold your lips together.

Your pearly whites stay hidden and your feelings remain private except to the

people who noticed that, although the corners of your mouth seem to be smil-

ing, your teeth aren’t showing. A closed-lip smile is a concealing gesture used

by playful children, politicians, and anyone else who’s hiding something.

Someone who’s teasing or being playful with another person may give the

closed-lip grin. Someone else may give the closed-lip grin as a means of show-

ing that although he’s happy to speak with you, he’s not telling you everything.

Mandy and Steve recently sold their house and were happily prepared to say

who had bought their property. When someone asked them how much they

had sold for, Mandy’s lips sealed shut. She smiled in the closed-lip gesture,

and looked at Steve as if to say, ‘Mind the hatches! Too much information!’

Keeping your teeth covered when you’re smiling indicates that you’re keeping

something in.

The full-blown grin .............................................................................

When you give a full-blown grin you know that you’ve given your face a good

work out. The person at the receiving end smiles with you, radiating in the

sunshine of your smile, as Stevie Wonder may say.

The muscles around your eyes crease and crinkle, and your teeth go on dis-

play as the sides of your lips stretch towards the tip of your ears. Your head

pulls back, even if ever so slightly and, bingo!, you’ve sent out the feel-good

factor.

When you’re watching someone smile, note the direction the head goes in. A

forward tilt indicates humbleness. A backward tilt tells you that the person’s

pleased and proud.

Laughter’s the Best Medicine .....................................................................

Laughter and smiles usually go together hand in hand. Some laughs burble

up from the bottom of the vocal mechanism, and burst forth with abandon,

like the belly laugh. Others get stuck in your throat, or up your back sinus

102 Part II: Starting at the Top