What hides nervousness better? A smile or a straight face?

Answer 1

Xanax!

I've also heard it said (regarding steeling one's resolve prior to addressing an audience) one should picture the audience members naked.

Doesn't work. Either too distracting or requires such effort that nothing is left of your focus, and as soon as you become aware of those things happening to you - bam! - you're right back to being nervous again.

Also, what if you're a man addressing an audience of attractive women, or a woman addressing an audience of attractive men? Talk about distraction -- oh my! (And for a man, potential embarrassment giving rise to self consciousness.. and -- bam! -- back to nervous again!) (heh, heh, heh!)

I'm sure there are many poker players who have thoroughly researched this topic. Anyone who saw Tarantino's flick "True Romance" has heard of pantomimes (gestures, body language etc) being give-away clues to a person's real demeanor no matter what mask they may employ, that through their body language and gestures they reflexively or even involuntarily may give signs of their true feeling or mental state, such as when nervous.

So, in fact, I don't think either a smile or a poker face will be able to "hide" nervousness.

However, of the two, choose the smile -- because often, just the simple act of smiling triggers a flood of responses in your body, emotions and mindset -- and thus the smile may actually take you out of your nervousness!!!

~smiling Bender!

Answer 2

I'd say comfort. Forget everyone else is in the room and do what you'd do at your default. You can only really do this by genuinely convincing yourself that there is nobody else in the room mentally. Almost by pretending that the people in the room are imagined. Better yet, imagine yourself to be the largest person in the room, like Gulliver's Travels. That always takes away nervousness. Never rely on how other people want you to act, simply say what is most "you" to say. For better or for worse, this will lead you to your happiest outcome because you will respect what you've said, and won't have had to brownnose for any of it. Everyone knows if something makes you feel good, and you respect what you're doing, you'll be happy. If any of those two are out of alignment, you're bound to be unhappy, thus this clearly seems the most logical path in that sense.

Answer 3

Why hide it? Eliminate it with self-confidence.

Cures recommended:

Experience life as broadly as possible (meet new people, travel, try new hobbies)

Get as much education as you can (in schools, by reading books, or by acquiring mentors or hanging out with old people)

Live an honest life (the more you mask your true self, the more ashamed you are of the real you when it accidently comes out)

Develop an adequate BS filter (this is a bi-product of being honest, you learn what the truth looks like by using it all the time, and this goes far beyond just telling the truth, it's a very powerful skill to know when someone's full of crap)

Do as much charity work as possible (I used to tell the teens I worked with that your self-esteem can never drop below the best thing you've ever done for another human being recently. If you're a hero to at least one human being in the world, imagine the impact this has on how you feel about yourself).

Doing these things transformed me in the way I handled difficult situations, like job interviews and confrontations and leadership. Self-confidence is contagious and it's actually easy to develop.

Answer 4

Personally, I'd say a straight face. Smiling might show your nervousness, and give you away. But I'd have to admit - its hard to not smile sometimes. What I do when my face is about to crack (from lack of smile...er....), I leave the room (or turn around where no one can see my face) and let out the smile (REALLY really wide and goofy), relax, breath out, empty my mind, then come back and look normal. (I also agree with the person who said not to be as poker faced as a wax sculpture.)

Answer 5

None, because there are so many other signs that would show your nervousness; eyes, hands, etc. The best is try not to be excessively nervous: breathe deeply, stretch, relax, drink a huge glass of water.
Now, if your question is about poker, yes the recipe is straight face AND black glasses. But you won't play better for that!

Answer 6

Don't do too much smiling! that will show that your uncomfortable! smile when needed! and keep a straight face, but also not too straight with no expressions, that will make you look right out of the wax museum!

The best thing to do when you don't know what to do, is act on your first instincts, and be as natural as possible!

Answer 7

neither a fake smile nor a nervous straight face.

Confidence corrects nervousness.

Answer 8

I think straight face is better
coz when I was nervous, I used to smile but then I don't know when to stop smiling hahahaha.. then I just start to feel that my smile became not natural anymore and also I started to feel tired because smiling too long hahahaha..

Answer 9

nervousness is expressed through your expressions mainly with your eyes. so probably the best one is a straight face. any kind of smile can give everything away.

Answer 10

A straight face.