Something that I've noticed about myself is that if someone looks to me like they have a creepy smile, it's probably because their smile is insincere, or at least I believe it's insincere. When someone is smiling in a way they think they're supposed to smile, or worse, if they smile because they want a specific response or reaction from me, it feels like I'm being lied to. When someone smiles, I expect them to be happy, or a bit uncomfortable. If someone is smiling at me because they want to put me at ease, or to trust them, it will definitely have the opposite effect because those are manipulative smiles, and they feel dishonest and look creepy! A school psychologist and a guidance counselor should know that. Not one clinical psychologist I've seen (of dozens) has come off like that, but probably half of the psychiatrists I've seen come off like that. (Most of the rest just act like they hate their jobs and find their patients annoying.) Politicians and salespeople smile like that.
I think dishonest smiles are up there with small talk, which also feels dishonest. I don't care at all which college your kid got accepted into, but I'm supposed to pretend that I do? I know you don't care which plays I've been working on, but I'm supposed to bore you with the list?
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I do not look like a homeless panhandler! I look just the way nature made me -- like a rock star! Can I help it if homeless panhandlers and rock stars look similar to you?