what does the look mean?



what does the look mean?

by giaa3752

22 comments
  1. It means ‘It is obligatory for me to smile now to acknowledge the situation, but I have no sprit for smiling, so I offer you this’.

  2. I’m doing this because polite society dictates I should, but you could help by moving faster.

  3. It means, all at the same time, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome”. “You first”. Plus a few other things. It is the universal expression that just make it so we don’t have to socialise with our words!

  4. “I don’t know you, and I don’t expect anything more than a nod or a quiet ‘thanks’, but I am performing a social obligation to demonstrate that good still exists in the world, that you are appreciated as a human being, and that if we all act like this, everything will be ok.”

    Roughly.

  5. Got to give them the nod also. If they don’t say “thank you”, “cheers”, “no go on you go first” or give you “the alright/thanks face/nod back”. You then give them the “tut” the worst of British insults.

  6. “We’re both here. Unexpectedly. This is awkward. Please don’t say anything, but have a good day. Please don’t talk to me…ok…bye”

  7. It’s not a smile, it’s a reflexive tensing of the cheek muscles that draws the lips up tightly to give the appearance of a smile.

    My guess is that this happens because we force ourselves to do the polite thing for fear of being silently judged if we don’t but all the while recoiling at the potentially disastrous result that the agonisingly forced action will be seen as an invitation to social interaction. 

    But what do I know. Anglo turk here, I’d guess nurture as opposed to nature. 

  8. I am undertaking this thoughtful action because it is a part of my civic responsibility to be generally kind to those around me. I care for others, such as yourself, but in an entirely holistic and none-specific sense. This is not personal, and I definitely don’t want to further engage with you beyond the required head nods of acknowledgement. 

  9. I don’t personally know you, but I am happy to ‘formally’ do you a favour by doing this gesture for you.

Leave a Reply