Wipe That Smile Off Your Face!

“All the factors say go, but my heart says “no”.    Mike Huckabee

I watched a news report yesterday about a study that concluded that guys who are smiling are not attractive.  I also read a tweet earlier in the day from a local radio station with a joke about it, saying something like: “Study says happy guys are unattractive, I say go #$@* yourself“.

Personally I’m not really too surprised, I guess if I ever found myself single again I might have to change my avatar since I look pretty happy on it. But, seriously it doesn’t really bother me too much because I used to be completely inspired by Hollywood’s heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme with their cold-blooded movie cover poses, too. Today I can step back and observe without feeling compelled to imitate whoever is starring in the latest action blockbuster.

That’s right, back in the days when I’d be going to clubs I would walk around with a stupid looking snarl on my face as if I were looking to avenge my keyed Mustang (I never actually owned one). When I heard the report I came to the conclusion that if a guy was actually in a state of  bliss he isn’t going to be disheartened by this study, whereas if the winner of the study, the proud, serious-looking “Bad Boy” lost he would probably be seriously considering filing a lawsuit for defamation of character.

I guess it probably goes both ways, though because in my younger days commercials or ads with unhappy-looking women definitely seemed more alluring. Nowadays if I see smiling faces in advertising, it seems to be more heart-warming and therefore if the product they’re selling seems relevant to my needs, I might be more inclined to buy it as opposed to an ad that seems negative.

So What’s In It For The Players?

On the news report I saw some young women explaining why they’d be more inclined to seek a relationship with the guy with the jutting chin, chest out, and grave look in their eyes. They said things like he’d be more manly, mysterious or dangerous and I think it’s probably a primitive thing. The father is someone who’ll be able to protect and provide for their young. So what would be the point in pursuing a relationship with a guy who doesn’t appear to have that killer instinct and seems content to just let things be?

I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion but I’m sure a lot of relationships with so-called “Bad Boys” usually end with a lot of sadness and shame. It really seems like a game that is doomed to failure, but maybe it’s always been this way on a certain level and nowadays we’re just more hung up about breakups. I’m sure that in ancient times with the alpha male having hundreds of kids with hundreds of mothers there was no qualms about him being a “Deadbeat Dad”, the mothers were just glad to have a healthy baby. Nowadays people like ODB (god rest his soul) from the Wu Tang Clan get a really bad rap, and with the conditions of society today it’s understandable.

I feel kinda foolish to admit this but when I was younger and saying a lot of bad words, wearing my game face, not caring about other people’s feelings, drinking too much, and doing stuff that was totally self-centered it was only my way of saying “I don’t want to be alone”. A lot has changed for me since I realized how important it is to be happy and I’m proud to say that I don’t get depressed half as often. Since there’s less guilt about being someone I’m not because of feeling like the odds are against me I thankfully no longer feel the need to wipe that smile off my face.