A smile hiding pain: why algorithms cannot distinguish between real emotions

This character smiles all the time, so it seems as if the smile is glued to his face. He is cheerful, cheerful, pleasant to talk to and usually everyone likes him...

But it's all a lie. The character tries his best to appear happy

in order to please others, to look “like everyone else” and not attract attention, but in fact, behind this impeccable façade lies such mental pain that his/her entire being is tense, like a string that can break at any moment. Sometimes it bursts - usually with unpleasant consequences.

Behind a fake smile, this character may be hiding:

• Depression or mental trauma
  . Outwardly, a person is happy and satisfied with everything, but deep down in his soul he is in pain, bad, depressed and is about to cry.
• Inner emptiness
  . The character seems kind and cheerful, but in fact, only a shell of a person remains of him. He doesn't feel anything and doesn't want anything.
• Mental instability
  . A smile hides mental disorder, or even madness.

If you come across an entire city/country/world with such a local population, it’s clearly a smoothed-out dump.

This type should not be confused with the smiley and pseudo-nice villain, who hide something else behind the smile. A related trope is the sad clown. Neighboring - Hiding behind sarcasm. Close - An innocent smile, when they try to hide some kind of offense behind a smile.

Where it occurs[edit]

Theater[edit]

• A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams - Blanche DuBois and part Stella Kowalski.

Literature[edit]

• “The Stepford Wives” by Ira Levin (like the film adaptations of the novel) is a tropnamer on TV tropes. A classic quiet American town, where the streets are always clean, the crime rate is low and the residents are friendly... And husbands who kill their wives to make submissive robots out of them.
• A Song of Ice and Fire: Sansa Stark uses such a mask to survive in King Joffrey's court. "Politeness is a lady's armor."
• "The Hunger Games" - Effie Trinket. Her perpetual smiles, colorful outfits, and seeming empty-headedness are a defense mechanism by which she copes with her (rather dark) role in the Games.
• James Herriot, "Of All Creatures Great and Small": One of the stories describes a calm and charming man whose dog became deathly ill and had to be put down. The author admires how calmly the owner accepted the loss... and then it turns out that the man committed suicide. It turned out that he had suffered from depression all his life, which he successfully hid behind a mask, and the death of the dog finally brought him down.
• Ryunosuke Akutagawa, story "Handkerchief": a woman whose son died paid a visit to his university professor. “Neither the appearance nor the behavior of this lady was affected in any way by the death of her own son. There were no tears in her eyes. And the voice sounded ordinary. Moreover, there was even a smile flickering in the corners of my lips.” And then “the professor noticed that she, probably trying to suppress her excitement, was crumpling the handkerchief with both hands with all her might, so that it almost tore. And finally, he noticed that in his thin fingers the embroidered ends of a crumpled silk handkerchief were shaking, as if from a breeze. The lady was smiling with her face, but in fact she was sobbing with all her being.” The Strugatsky brothers, “The Beetle in the Anthill” is an allusion. “My attention was attracted by a blue rag lying under the table. I picked it up. It was a crumpled and tattered woman's handkerchief. Of course, I immediately remembered Akutagawa’s story.”

Cinema[edit]

• Baron Ch. Trech! “Smile, smile, even if you’re reluctant. Smile, smile, so that you can save for your old age. Smile, smile to earn more. Smile, smile to pay less!”
• “Pleasantville” - this is what the inhabitants of the utopia into which the main character and his wife find themselves do.
• "Guardians of the Galaxy" - Peter Quill and Rocket (the latter is more of a sad clown).
• "Oblivion" - Victoria and Sally. Although for different reasons.
• "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Tim Burton - Willy Wonka himself. His unnatural smiles sometimes go straight into the uncanny valley.
• "Ink" or "Ink". Representatives of the evil forces of the other world literally wear a mask of a smiling face in the form of a television image on a plate suspended in front of their real face. Perhaps this is a symbolism of our perception, since the other world in the film is a kind of cross between Twilight, the afterlife and the land of dreams.
• Zack Snyder's Watchmen - Doctor Manhattan. He keeps the face of a calm and self-confident superman, while in his soul he sobs like a child. Not least because he endlessly distances himself from people and understands this very well. Right here. Comedian. Although with a screwed wick. A cruel, cynical sadist who hides behind cruel jokes a past full of deaths, betrayals and other episodes of the work of a government killer.

Cartoons[edit]

• Toy Story cartoon series: Lotso as a standard trope in the third part. There is also a toy telephone, an unhappy and sad toy with a drawn happy smile.
• And in the fourth cartoon it’s poor Woody himself...

Animated series[edit]

• "Avatar: The Last Airbender" - Ty Lee, Azula's companion. And Aang himself hid behind fun and carefreeness the bitterness of loss and guilt for the death of his people.

Web cartoons[edit]

• RWBY: Nora Valkyrie. A frivolous, always optimistic (sometimes even too optimistic) and cheerful girl. But her past is rather sad.
• This is clearly shown with Weiss: in Season 2, during a video call with a representative of the Schnee company (run by her father), she feigns joy and amusement, but as soon as the conversation ends, the smile immediately turns off.
• If you look closely, the main character Ruby is also hiding under the mask of unbending optimism. And in the 7th season, Salem was still able to tear off this figurative mask from her for a short time.

Comics[edit]

Short statuses about a smile

• A smile is a flexible concept.
• I give a smile to everyone, a look to many, a heart to one!
• If you see a loved one without a smile, smile yourself.
• If you wake up every morning thinking that something good will happen today, then it will!
• If you want life to smile at you, give it your good mood first!
• The one who illuminates the lives of others will never be left without light.
• Smile at everyone, always... It irritates some, it infects others, and it attracts others!
• Take care of what makes you smile.
• Smile at the world and it will smile at you.
• A smile is omnipotent and worth the reward. Just a smile and you will be welcome!
• A smile is a shield from any adversity.
• Smile to spite yourself for good luck today.
• The most beautiful thing in the world is a child's smile.
• Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
• A smile is another thing I love about your lips.
• One smile is half a kiss.
• A smile is the best thing in a person.
• I would just like a piece of heaven and your smile.
• A smile is the best makeup.

Cool statuses about a smile

When a person smiles, he is relaxed and open to good emotions, and they are known to have a beneficial effect on our entire body. Among different peoples, hugs, handshakes and gestures can mean completely opposite things, and only a smile always and everywhere has the same meaning. In quotes and aphorisms about smiling, the words are very correctly chosen about how much easier and more pleasant our life will become if we do not hide our smiles.

• I smile and walk without touching the ground.
• The last day before my vacation to work I had to walk through the door sideways - a smile couldn’t fit through!
• Smile more often at the new day, and don’t forget to tell your loved ones: “I love you...”
• You have to smile so that the lipstick stays on your ears!
• A radiant smile is a smile not only with the lips, but with the eyes, heart and soul. Are we shining?! ;))
• A smile is a small coin in the treasury of happiness.
• Come on, hide your sadness and show your smile!
• A smile is like a filter: it lets in the good, and keeps out the bad!
• A man without a smile is strings without a violin, it is a sea without a seagull, it is a house without a mistress, it is a cat without a tail, it is a tail without a cat. Always smile! And have a nice day!
• Smile to spite yourself for good luck today.
• If you smile, all your dreams will come true!
• Smile and you will have friends; frown and you will have wrinkles.
• Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
• A smile is the safest weapon of mass destruction! “Shoot” with smiles - spread joy, get infected with positivity and be kind!
• Don't look for a reason to smile - smile and pass it on.
• Share your smile - and it will be remembered to you more than once.
• You are not fully dressed if you are not smiling.
• Smiling is one of the easiest ways to change your appearance!
• There are people whose smile makes them look outrageously stunning.
• Laugh more often, love more - you will live much longer!
• Smile at your loved ones and not so much - give a piece of warmth!

Like Marilyn Monroe

Advertising of dental services made its contribution. A white-toothed smile symbolized prosperity and belonging to the upper class, spoke of attractiveness and the ability to win over oneself. We were talking not only about health, but also about beauty: straightening, whitening, applying veneers. Movie stars became important clients of the industry. This is how the concept of “Hollywood smile” appeared, which even today describes the ideal dentition.

Janet Gaynor, first American actress to win an Oscar

Another common expression associated with American photo smiles is “Say sy-y-yr.” It first appeared in the early 1940s in the pages of the American press. US Ambassador to the USSR Joseph Davis wrote in his book “Mission to Moscow” that saying the word cheese, allowing his lips to stretch, helped him look friendly in the photo.

Today, rare commercial photography and video shooting is complete without wide smiles.

Marketers' belief that an open smile is appropriate in any situation sometimes leads to absurdities: happy families in stock photos smile as if they had taken a euphoretic, and women melt into bliss after eating a spoonful of yogurt.

Besides, our mirror neurons cannot be fooled. An actor’s insufficiently convincing performance immediately responds with acute inconsistency and gives rise to conflicting signals. This is how the meme about Harold Hiding the Pain appeared: the elderly man’s forced smile speaks of anything but joy.

Hungarian electrician Andras Arato, who became famous online as Harold Hide the Pain.

However, despite some “excesses on the ground”, an open smile is no longer a symbol of stupidity and vice, but a demonstration of openness and sympathy.

Beautiful words about a smile

A sincere smile originates in the heart. She is capable of working miracles, she helps to establish contacts and friendships between people. And in general, people who are cheerful and generous with their smiles live much easier and more fun. This is exactly what is said in beautiful quotes and aphorisms about smiling.

Never stop smiling even when you are sad because someone might fall in love with your smile.

May the world smile with clear sunshine, may your every day be the most beautiful!

Just one smile can change the world around you, but never let the whole world change your smile!

Often the smile is the most important thing. Thank you with a smile. They reward you with a smile. They give you life with a smile. And there is a smile for which you will do anything...

In thunderstorms, in storms, in the coldness of life, during losses and when you are sad, appearing smiling and simple is the highest art in the world.

A beautiful smile intrigues, a modest one touches, a kind one pleases, a happy one enchants, a sincere one inspires. A smile does not leave you indifferent. Smile!

“A smile is the sun. She drives winter away from a person’s face.” Victor Hugo

“Smile. A smile should be not only on the lips, but also in the eyes and in the voice.” Alan Percy

“A smile is the normal state of a normal person.” Evgeny Zamyatin

"You're not fully dressed yet unless you have a smile on your face." Martin Charnin

“When you wake up in the morning, the main thing is to smile. Always start your day with a smile." William Claude Fields

“As a person has a smile, so is his soul.” George Martin

“Never stop smiling, even when you are sad, someone might fall in love with your smile.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“If you see a face without a smile, smile yourself.” Biant Priensky

“A charming smile is part of the truth about a person; usually an important part.” Max Fry

"Just smile. Smile at problems and they will dissipate like clouds after a storm, at the enemy and he will retreat, at time and it will slow down, at people and they will reach out.” Nver Simonyan

“Let’s greet each other with a smile, because a smile is the beginning of love.” Mother Teresa

“A smile is the rainbow reflection of the human soul.” Roman Podzorov

“A smile costs less electricity but produces the same amount of light.” Henri Antoine Gruet

“A strong person is not the one who can put you on your shoulder with one look, but the one who can lift you up from your knees with one smile!” Juliette Binoche

About the benefits of a smile

Psychologists say that if a person looks upset, his mood actually worsens. But it also works in the opposite direction: if you smile more often, your well-being will improve. Listen to these meaningful quotes and aphorisms about smiling, because sometimes it’s useful to literally force yourself to smile.

“Smile, even if you feel very bad, in pain and want to cry, smile for real, with sincere joy, straighten your shoulders and straighten up, as if you are happy and proud and want to sing with happiness. The body will believe and rejoice, maybe not immediately, but very quickly, it simply does not know how to truly suffer when you sincerely smile. And after the body, the soul will rejoice again...” Maria Semenova

“Smile, for all people lack self-confidence, and a smile, more than anything else, gives this confidence.” Andre Maurois

“When a person smiles. And even more, when he laughs, it’s as if he manages to extend his life, this short moment.” Laurence Stern

“If the loser smiles, the winner loses the taste of victory.” Usain Bolt

“The cheerful expression on the face is gradually reflected in the inner world.” Immanuel Kant

“I understand what your problem is. You are too serious. All stupid things on earth are done with this facial expression... Smile, gentlemen... Smile... "Baron Munchausen"

“Life is a smile, even if tears are streaming down your face.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“My life is falling apart, but no one sees it, because I am a well-mannered person: I smile all the time.” Frederic Beigbeder

“Just smile - and tiny rays of warmth will timidly creep into your sad soul, warm your heart and, spilling over with sweet calm, light up your eyes.”

“When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show it that you have a thousand reasons to smile.”

“Step over the sadness, people! You smiled, it means everything is okay. Laugh more often, be happy and let your smile become your morning exercise!”

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Gabriel Garcia Marquez