Excercising my "smile muscles"

Post Reply New Topic

I get told pretty regularly that I look sad or angry when I think that I just look "normal" and am feeling alright. This happened more in my teen years than now, but it still happens. I always hated being told that "It takes more muscles to frown than to smile!" (something my mom would say), because I wasn't using any muscles at all, I was just letting my face be my face.

I didn't understand why they said I looked upset until I got a digital camera and discovered the art of the selfie (you're allowed to laugh at that lol). I started taking pictures of myself smiling (not big, toothy grins, but just small smiles), and then looking at the preview on my camera and seeing a half-dead expression which looked a little like I was maybe trying to pretend to smile but couldn't quite pull it off.

Unrelated to this, I later learned (from a science program) that it was possible for anyone to learn to move every muscle on their face, so I tried. While staring into the mirror and trying wiggle muscles I hadn't even known I had, I realized that I had more control over the muscles on the left side of my face than the right side of my face; for example, I could only wink with my left eye and I could only curl my left lip, and I usually only really smiled with the left half of my face.

So, I've been exercising the right side of my face (by making faces! ) and I noticed recently that my smiles are getting more smile-like. What used to feel like a big smile now feels like a small smile, because my smile muscles are stronger and so smiles don't take so much effort anymore.

I bought a little machine that stimulates the muscles of my face. It kind of lifts my face a little bit, but I still can't smile.

The exercise that helped my smile the most was, I think, trying to curl my right lip (which I can now do effortlessly, but it took some serious effort to get to this point; at first, I couldn't even raise my right upper lip, except for as far as my left upper lip or right cheek muscles could raise it. I wasn't actually using the muscle that mattered at all!).

It's difficult to get the corners of my mouth to curl upwards. My mouth just stays straight when I try and smile. I've gave up trying now.

They always say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, as if it's actually easier to smile. However, when one uses fewer muscles to do a job, each one has to do more work. Besides, one has to work against the pull of gravity to smile, adding more work.

That said, good for you for learning to smile!

I don't smile because I don't want to or have no reason to. Especially during pictures. I don't feel happy during pictures.

This made me laugh so much! I am so the same way! People always say I look angry and I try to smile but it just doesn't work. I also took a selfie and found out I just looked like I was doing a normal face when smiling. I will try this! Maybe it helps. Thanks man!

I do smile exercises as I post on WP sometimes. I do that, because I know that there are times in the future that I'll need to make a good impression.

Due to schizophrenia and autism combined, I have a really bad flat affect. I find it difficult to even smirk. But I don't feel the need to show emotion on my face.

Question? Do any of you find it possible to smile only when you find something funny to laugh about because for me, That's the only time I can do it. I just can't do it at will.

I can smile when I want to and keep it on if I want. No problem with that. I can even act to laugh my a*s off. Can be quite nice to do because you get the happy feeling through it.

Don't you feel different when you smile? I get a tingly nice feeling.

I don't get pleasure from smiling. I have to be subjected to something absolutely hilarious to even laugh a little or do a small smile.

Can't imagine not getting joy from laughing/smiling. You seem okay with it though?

Don't you guys laugh really loud when watching a funniest home videos program? Do you feel nothing under something like that?

Sorry for the personal questions. I find this very interesting.