5 ms·

By asking/telling someone to smile, one is basically saying, "You should look more pleasant for my benefit." I can't see asking someone to smile being appropria

By asking/telling someone to smile, one is basically saying, "You should look more pleasant for my benefit." I can't see asking someone to smile being appropriate in a workplace setting unless the person is in a customer-facing role and it affects job performance. The sexist part is that it seems to happen far more often to women than to men.

ManlyBread 10y ago
Or maybe you just want to actually cheer up that person? Not everyone follows the sociopathic line of thinking you presented.
- wetmore 10y ago
  How does telling someone to smile cheer them up? Besides, you can be cheerful but not smile.
  - rickyc091 10y ago
    I mean kids will typically end up laughing if you tell them to smile.
rpdillon 10y ago
> bascially saying "You should look more pleasant for my benefit." Perhaps not. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smile-it-could-make-you-happier/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smile-it-could-mak... Tone of voice and mannerisms tell a much fuller story, though.
- mthoms 10y ago
  Exactly this. Context is everything. Human communication is very nuanced.
mthoms 10y ago
That's quite an assumption (that it has anything to do with physical appearance). It's equally possible that it was intended as a shorthand for "cheer up, it's not that bad" or "try to keep your chin up". Both of which actually indicate that the speaker cares about their colleague. Sure, I can see contexts where it would be inappropriate to say but that doesn't make it always inappropriate to say.