Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Luke Haley.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
Say Cheese! Smile!
Voice 1
In many places, people smile when they have their picture taken. They are smiling purposefully, to look happy. A smile is a worldwide expression. It is a way that all people show emotion on their faces. All humans know how to smile. But why do we smile? Are there different kinds of smiles? And can a smile mean something different for a man than for a woman? Does a person’s culture affect how much they smile? Today’s Spotlight is on smiling.
Voice 2
The corners of your mouth lift up. Your lips curve around your teeth. Your cheeks move closer to your eyes. You are smiling! And you are not the only one. Humans smile a lot. In fact, smiling is instinctual. This means that people often smile without even thinking about it. Even babies smile. People were created to be able to smile!
Voice 1
People smile in many different situations. Many people smile when they are happy! But people also smile when they are afraid, or uncomfortable. And people smile for many different reasons. The first is that it is a natural instinct. Imagine that you see an old friend come through your door. You will most likely smile with joy. But you have not told yourself to smile. Your face just does it! It is a natural reaction to your feeling of happiness.
Voice 2
Scientists think there is another reason people smile. We often smile when we meet people we do not know. This shows that we are friendly. Smiling helps us protect ourselves. We decide who we can trust by a person’s smile. A smile shows that a person is friendly. He or she is not dangerous. This may be why some people smile when they are uncomfortable or afraid. It is a way to create a connection with other people.
Voice 1
Smiling has one other purpose – it makes people feel happier. Dr. Nakia Gordon is a professor of psychology at Marquette University. She told Marquette Magazine:
Voice 4
“You do not have to be happy to smile. And you can smile and not be happy… at least not at first. But smiling can make you feel happier. Research suggests that our brains receive feedback from other parts of our bodies to help decide how we feel. Smiles do not just represent and communicate how we feel to others. They also help us experience those feelings more fully.”
Voice 2
Smiling, even when you are not happy, can make you feel better. But not all smiles are the same. Different kinds of smiles mean different things. Guillaume Duchenne was a French doctor in the nineteenth century. He studied facial expressions. Duchenne looked at the muscles in the human face. He studied how they moved to make facial expressions. He found that there were two main sets of muscles that people used to smile. One of these is around the mouth, as the lips move up. The other set of muscles is around the eyes. When people smile in a particular way, their eyes close a bit. This smile often creates lines in the skin, wrinkles, around the eyes.
Voice 1
It is possible to smile just using the mouth muscles. Scientists have shown that this kind of smile is often not voluntary or from a natural reaction. It is not a real smile, caused by feelings of joy or happiness. It is the kind of smile that people do for a camera, or to be polite. A smile that moves the muscles near the eyes is usually a real smile. Scientists call this a Duchenne smile. And studies show that people can tell the difference. People trust a person who has a Duchenne smile more than someone who just smiles with his or her mouth.
Voice 2
But smiling also means different things for different kinds of people. For example, men and women often have different habits of smiling. In many places, women smile more than men. Is this because women are happier? Not really. It is more likely because girls and women are taught to smile more than boys and men. In many cultures, smiling makes a person seem less serious and more friendly. Men may feel pressure to seem more serious. Women often feel pressure to be friendly. Marianne LaFrance is a social psychologist. She wrote a book about smiling. In an interview with American Scientist she said:
Voice 5
“Smiling is done mostly for other people. It is usually believed to show a positive emotional state of the smiler. But in fact, smiling is socially useful. We would not survive in our day-to-day contacts with other people if there was not some level of smiling by people. It more often falls to women to take care of that part of things.”
Voice 1
Smiling is also different across cultures. In some places, such as the United States, people smile a lot. In other cultures, such as Russia, smiling too much may seem strange. In many countries, smiling can have many different meanings.
Voice 2
A team of scientists in Japan and the United States did a study. They tested if people’s smiles were seen as trustworthy. They found that in Japan, people judged trust by the expression around people’s eyes. But in the United States, people looked mainly at the mouth.
Voice 1
The scientists think this is because people in the United States usually show more facial expression. So they expect a large smile to show in the mouth. But in Japan, people do not always show their emotion through facial expressions. So to find out what someone really feels, they look more at the eyes. A real smile, or Duchenne smile, will show in a person’s eyes.
Voice 2
This difference between Japan and the United States can also be seen in another kind of smiling. In modern times, people communicate more with technology and media. Smiles are a part of this communication too! In SMS and text messages, people use symbols to make smiling faces. This helps to communicate emotions quickly and easily. In Japan, a smiling face symbol has a straight mouth and curved eyes. But a Western smiling face has a curved mouth and straight eyes!
Voice 1
It does not matter if smiles are texted or seen on a friend’s face. Smiles are an important part of human expression. Smiling can make you start to feel better when you are sad. And smiling at other people can make them feel good too. In the words of Mother Theresa: “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘All About the Smile’.
Voice 1
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
Question:
What makes you smile? Is it easy for you to smile?
When we are happy, we smile.
I’m smile when I’m afraid, to make happy.
This was areally good program As the all programs complete doing these great programs
When I eat chocolate.
any thins can make me smile and it’s easy to make me smile
For me, the most frequent occasions to smile are linked to the memory of happy events, but more often to the memory of stupid behavior that I would have liked to avoid. I think animals are also able to feel emotions and therefore laugh and cry, but they do it in a different way than humans.
I am smiling at this time.
I always try to smile more everyday even when I have a sad thing. Sometimes, I ask myself: Am I crazy when I smile in these situations? But I realized the true answer: Smiling even in difficult situations is an effective method to help you overcome your worries and get a lot of positive energy. Smiling is really marvelous. My teacher said that: Although you’re ugly but just you smile, you will be the most beautiful person. In the workplace, I still always smile. It helps me to connect better with my colleagues and the people around me.
The thing that makes me smile a lot is when I’m deeply in nature and when I play with babies.
Really? So do I!
I’m smile when I remember something in the past that made me happy
Many things make me smile, when I am happy, or when I listening to funny jokes, even when I see old friend, there is many kinds of smiling, sometime I smile to be polite even when I am unconfortable, and also I smile to show other people I am not dangerous and I am friendly.
I think
Smiling is good all over the world.
always I thank you a lot to sptlight english.
thanks the brogram is a nice
Ther are many resons for smil when i feeling sad or when some one juke wiht me or wen i was happy or when some one take to me agivte
Smile help me to be happy
I am smiling when other people tell me a joke,
I am smiling to compliment others. and smiling is necessary for health.
it gives heath the positive energy.
when I was happy, I smile. But when I was sad, I tried looking for something that it can make me smile. That is a way I can forget my sadness. Thank Spotlight English. I known a lot of things from this program.
I don’t smile a lot but I like smiling to other person who is smiling to me. I like good and kind joke which makes me smiling. Thanks Spotlight for your work and very interesting and positive topic.
Always l smile when met people
Tks so much
When I cry, I know this is a strange thing.
I am smile when i feel happy and positivity , I am smile when i read a book , listen to podcasts and spotlight , i am smile when i see a persone i know who is , and a nother situation …..
my favorite things make me smile..like waching a movie ..or play a game
yah its so easy
For me is easy smile, when I am so happy is more easy to smiling
For me it’s really easy smile, I believe that you can’t say not to smile to someone.
The funny words and comedy situation make me smile and it,s easy to me smile and smile in the face of people feel the other optimism and confedendent
What always makes me smile is always expecting a better tomorrow !
I Think Smiling Makes Society More Powerful..
If you had a bad bay but you saw someone smile, it makes you happy
smile i feel haapy
Friends
I love to laugh. Because when I smile I feel happier. I can smile when I read a good book, watch a funny movie, meet my friend, my friend’s jokes, and so on. When I feed sad, I still smile, that will give me more positive emotions. I feel more energetic and motivated.
when i feel sad,i smile. ithink it change my feeling and turn me to a happy person❤️
I smile all the time l love to meet my client with smile to feeling good.
I’m smiling when I listen to this podcast <3
i think what makes me smile when i saw a youtuber i like it put a vedieo because i really enjoy when i see , them example ( bandritaX ) or ( xSMA333 ) insta / fou9b
I smile so bright because, I think smiling face is always the beautiful face. Sometimes it really doesn’t matter what you are going through a smile can just erase your pain and make others happy also.
I like Dr. Nakia Gordon speech: “you don’t have to be happy to smile. And you can smile and not be happy…”
Smiling makes people feel happier.
Smiling is free therapy
so why don’t you choose smile?
Smile is what i maintain every day. When i smile, i have more positive energy
I ‘m terribly ticklish and maybe I smile very nice so I like smiling. Just stop, for a minute and I feel happier and It help us feel everything more simple.
I laugh every time I learn something new that changes my mind or watch funny movies. And I am a person who laughs easily
I smile when I gather with my friends
It easy to makes me smile: I watch a funny thing, I see a cute puppy, … Special when I meet or talk with other people, I think a smile usually has an important role in a conversation. It makes us feel friendly and comfortable, sometimes it means polite. And when people feel comfortable, they will share more and more.
A smile is a worldwide expression.
Laughter is the best medicine, as they say. This adage is very popular not just in Vietnam, but also across the rest of the world. In other words, a smile does not take anything away from you; on the contrary, it may make you seem pleasant and energetic, and you will receive affection from everyone. I believe that we should laugh as often as we possibly can, even if it means laughing out loud (lol). As a result, I often chuckle while conversing with others, watching quiz shows, the comedy film, and other such situations. When I laugh, I feel liberated and comfortable in my own skin. I get the impression that my body is bursting with good energy. Furthermore, when I am pleased, I will laugh and laugh even louder, and I want to spread the good news by wearing a grin on my face wherever I go to spread the good news.
I always smile with everyone the person could I do not know before. The smiles help me close with the another person easier,and brought me state positive.
Thanks for your program
Ther are many resons for smil when i feeling sad or when some one juke wiht me or wen i was happy or when some one take to me agifte
When we have a lot of laughing in our lives, we are really joyful. Laughter is the greatest medicine for just about everything and all. Always strive to have a positive attitude about your life. In this manner, you will have more energy. I make it a point to keep myself cheerful at all times. The things that make me grin are often found in everyday situations. For example, when I get a gift, when my parents are pleased, or when I gather with my friends to discuss anything and everything. and I believe that this is the reason why I have so much energy for my daily activities. I’m delighted because everyone who comes into touch with me is filled with happiness. It’s simple to share a grin with a loved one. I’ll get to it as soon as I have the opportunity. And when I meet new people, I’ll offer them a warm grin to greet them. A smile is something that may help individuals connect with one another.
Generally speaking, i believe that person who smiles a lot will make an impression and will be sympathetic to other people. During an interview, for example, your smile will communicate to others that you are confident while also attracting people who are meeting you for the first time. Alternatively, in some situations, when I;m feeling tough, a smile from someone will also provide me with more positive energy.
beautiful attitude
beautiful attitude
I usually mile when i have a funny story, meet someone, eat a delicious food or anything make me happy. I think all proplem will be solved when we mile.
When see friend come up I feel so happy and happy
many things make me smile, but it’s difficult to smile front of who I hate him.
There are several situations for smile , for example , some times we smile when we feel happiness, and some times we smile because we are afraid of something , and for me some times I really smile when I watch things or person that I hates
Well, I didn’t stop smiling during this episode, it was funny
Yes, it’s easy for me to smile, so l’m practically full-time smiling
I smaile when i eat tasty food while whtch a movie
this is a great English teaching website I like more and I won’t say please make a chat or add a chat Massinger about learning English. my English is not good if an mistakes
so pleas sorry.
i am smiling all the time
I like to keep smiling when I get to work specially for giving positive energy for whoever round me.
This is a great program for anyone who needs to learn and develop listening skills, thank you so much for your helping us, Have a wonderful time.
What makes me smile is when I see my loved ones beside me cheerful and happy. I am a person who laughs easily, even a simple joke makes me laugh.
Smile is better than cry, smiles provide us more positive energy to overcome difficulties. The life will happier if we smiles everyday.Hopefully, all of us always have a good emotions so that laugh a lot!
My family also my friend and my thing like books and coffee is not easy to smile when l don’t feeling good
smile is the key to any relationship 🙂
when I eat chocolate and fried chicken and in general fast food I love it so much Also when I stargaze, yes it is so easy to anything make me smile even be silly because life it fantastic why we are complex for ourselves, when I was kid I was a serious boy but now I changed and believe me if I change anyone can change, and smile no matter what happen encourage yourself always
What makes you smile? When I saw someone laughs.
its hard to me to smile Bec I very serious but I will change that and I smile more the next time
When I am happy I smile.
I smiling all the time even if there are no reasons for it
in our Islamic religion our prophet said smiling in the face of your brother is a charity
Who makes me smile, my family, my friend, and the most important thing when I pray the prayer that God commanded me to do
2- Depends on the person I’m talking to
Usually I smile when I see a nice baby , bride and when it is rain.
Yes I Think a bit things Can make me smile 🙂