it will give you a phoney, superficial look. Try it in front
of a mirror-and see yourself as others see you!
A genuine, sincere smile starts from within
you-not from a fixed position of your lips. You have to
"feel" a smile before you can express it-and when you
do start to express a smile, personality experts have found
that you must start to smile with your eyes!
Try that in front of a mirror! First sincerely,
inwardly feel like smiling. Then smile with your eyes!
Imagine a humorous twinkle in your eyes. Then intensify
it until your eyes are smiling. Yes, you can actually smile
with your eyes! You can even laugh with your eyes! This
isn't some new and surprising discovery of mine. It has
been taught for years by just about all "personality train-
ers" from success counselors to dramatic schools to song
writers. (Remember the old song, "When Irish EYES Are
Smiling"? )The psychological reason for starting your
smile, first from the inside, and then from your eyes, is
very simple. Whenever you consciously try to express an
emotion (unless you have had years of continuous, pro-
fessional training as an actor or actress) you become self-
conscious. You look positively silly trying to "emote" even
such a simple expression as a smile with your lips. So you
avoid that self-conscious lip expression just by not thinking
about your lips at all. As a matter of fact, you don't think
about any of your facial expression at all. You just "feel"
like smiling and you start expressing that pleasant feeling
with your eyes.