If someone asks you a question but you are a shy person and respond quietly, why do they start smiling at you? Are they making fun of you but just not saying anything?
This has happened to me a lot lately, so I'm just wondering why people get this huge grin on their face once I start talking (and I'm too shy/self-conscious to ask them directly).
2006-12-23 06:58:53 · 13 answers · asked by Chelsea 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
They are trying to be encouraging. A smile is a sign of peace/friendliness. If people smile at you, psychologically speaking, your brain is taught to be calm because it realizes that the situation is a peaceful one and there is no aggression. So your brain sees that there is no need for anxiety. Anxiety is developed when there is a situation where you need to defend yourself and anxiety prepares you physically, making you faster and stronger so you can defend better (think animal kingdom). So in this case, peace/friendliness should bring the opposite effect. A smile serves this purpose.
So basically, they are trying to help you develop a sense of security by smiling while you speak, or after you speak. They are trying to encourage you to speak more.
2006-12-23 07:18:28 · answer #1 · answered by Janelle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be that they perceive that you are giving an inappropriate response because of the mismatch between what you say and the body language that you exhibit.
Extremely shy people sometimes give off signals to people that they are unsure of their response and are thus not expected to be taken seriously.
It is up to you to present a confident demeanor to anyone you encounter. People are generally quick to interpret how your body language matches what you say. They can make lasting judgments about your personality and your intelligence if you present the wrong clues to them.
Even if you are shy inside, present a confident demeanor to the outside world. This behavior will be positively reinforced if you are effective at it and will ultimately reduce your shyness to a tolerable level.
Good luck.
2006-12-23 07:19:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
wellness that shy individual and understanding what this is like, i could understand. in the event that they actually smiled at me, i could know they did no longer have a subject with me. If i ought to recover from my shyness and that i observed them at lunch or something, i could attempt to take a seat down with him/her.
2016-11-23 13:29:28 · answer #3 · answered by chasse 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alot fo people think it's cute when a person is shy, and not too open. It's something guys like inparticular.
2006-12-23 08:01:08 · answer #4 · answered by Sarah M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They probably sense your discomfort and are: 1. trying to put you more at ease or 2. feel discomfort by your discomfort and smile nervously.
2006-12-23 07:07:23 · answer #5 · answered by ♥ Jenn ♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are either thinking "ah how cute", or trying to put you at ease. Either way its not a bad thing, and I would very much doubt that people are laughing at you.
2006-12-23 07:06:19 · answer #6 · answered by somebody cares 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some people just try to be nice and get you out of your shell. It's nothing to pay attention to.
2006-12-23 07:08:49 · answer #7 · answered by Arya Dröttning 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they are curious about things they don't know.
Since you don't talk much, they listen intently when you do in order to attempt to understand you better.
2006-12-23 19:16:38 · answer #8 · answered by Kevin P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is encouragement and understanding.
Smiling is a sign of good things, not bad, so relax.
2006-12-23 07:29:20 · answer #9 · answered by Batty 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To let you know it's okay to talk to them. They are trying to be friendly so you can relax while telling them your opinion.
2006-12-23 07:09:47 · answer #10 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋