I'm practicing my "neutral face":. . . .

I read an article recently about the importance of working on your "neutral face". For those of you going "What????" at this point, that's your face when you are not smiling or talking or animated in any way. I just decided mine tends to be kind of grim. Who knew. I challenge you to sit in front of a mirror and check out yours. While I know I have a really good smile (see attached photo), in"neutral" I decided I tend to look like I am either worried, ate something unpleasant, or am just plain mad. I think that's why I have taught myself (unknowingly) to always smile when my photo is being taken, because I never like the way I look when I don't. So why do I care, you ask? Because according to the article, your "neutral face" makes all the difference in how you are perceived in both business and social occasions. People tend to be more receptive to those with pleasant neutral faces. The kind of face where the mouth's outer edges turn up instead of down. Geez, I wonder how I managed to get along in the public relations biz all those years with such a sour puss. Seriously, I do believe as you mature your face loses some of its pleasant look just by virture of gravity on the facial muscles. The article makes it very clear that it pays dividends to work on your "neutral face", particularly when you are in a business situation where you are seeking acceptance for some new idea, or in a social situation where you are meeting people for the first time. Serious has its place in certain situations, to be sure, like maybe when you are accepting the Nobel Prize, but for the most part pleasant offers a better payoff. Let me know how you make out with the mirror test and I promise to be smiling the next time we meet. # # # Photo caption: Smile, Joan, you're on Candid Camera