Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Criticism For Too Much Smiling
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
Criticism For Too Much Smiling
by Kirkgregor, Jun 09, 2007 12:00AM
I am in my mid forties. All my life different walks of people in a wide varieties of settings have come to the same conclusion about me when I try to socialize:"What are smiling bout"? In short, they stare me down and don't understand why I smile.
In my head, I have preconceived ideas about everyone. I don't see people wanting to get along, they want to compete in every endeavor. Sometimes I am shocked when people actually think of me or even use my first name which is an odd-ball name" Kirk". As a boy,(Ages 0-12)my mother was routinely beaten by my father. He still lives today as a selfish hermit on an 120 acre parcel that used to be a dairy farm. My mother vented some on me after her beatings, but she has the "Smiling too Much disorder too". I think she just has it with me though. I have studied her around others and she does not smile so much to them.
In my case, I smile as I communicate with every human I associate with.
In my head, I have preconceived ideas about everyone. I don't see people wanting to get along, they want to compete in every endeavor. Sometimes I am shocked when people actually think of me or even use my first name which is an odd-ball name" Kirk". As a boy,(Ages 0-12)my mother was routinely beaten by my father. He still lives today as a selfish hermit on an 120 acre parcel that used to be a dairy farm. My mother vented some on me after her beatings, but she has the "Smiling too Much disorder too". I think she just has it with me though. I have studied her around others and she does not smile so much to them.
In my case, I smile as I communicate with every human I associate with.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jun 11, 2007 12:00AM
, Jun 11, 2007 12:00AM
I can only guess but here it is. The kind of smile you describe is more like a mask that covers up what you are really thinking, and probably has both a defensive look to outsiders, and a smirk condescending aspect, as if saying what you said you are thinking about people. The best thing you can do for yourself is to start sorting out what you are feeling, what you have learned since you were a child about what is real and what is memory/feeling. It would be best to do this with someone close to you that you trust, and if not, with a therapist.
