[nabs-l] Facial expressions and smiling unconsciously

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Arielle,

Oh no, sighted people will "pop a smile" when thinking of something
funny or something that makes them smile. People probably just ask why
you're smiling since it seems to happen with no provocation they're
aware of. It may also be a segway into a conversation. Rest assured,
though, that this isn't specific to people who are blind, but is
something plenty of sighted people do. It's usually an unconscious
reaction, but you're not alone in this behavior. And it also probably
indicates that you're an expressive person. There's nothing odd in the
behavior, and it's exhibited on all types of people regardless of not
being able to see or having sight.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 12
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:29:37 -0700
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Blindness versus other minority groups
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<CALAYQJAyFcnCJyW34mWFhcMSUFbgOxwSHuGOPUHKgPG9mW+hcQ at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi Tara and all,
You make a good point about nonverbal communication. I agree that it
behooves us as blind people to actively use nonverbal communication to
express ourselves. However, I wonder how skilled someone can become at
this who has been totally blind since birth, even with practice. In
particular, I am thinking about deliberately using nonverbal signals in
emotional or stressful situations, like eye-rolling or looking annoyed
when a stranger says or does something obnoxious. I imagine we can
practice certain gestures or facial expressions, but would they ever
become automatic enough to appear without much conscious effort, as they
do for sighted people? Of course some things, like facing a conversation
partner, are easy and don't require much thought, but other expressions
are a lot more nuanced. I'm curious if any of you who have always been
blind really feel like you have developed good control over your facial
and body expressions, or if any of you have made attempts to get better.
I really do think that focused lessons about body language should be
taught to young blind children, but I think that realistically, the task
of getting someone who has always been blind to adopt culturally shared
facial expressions and gestures routinely is a lot harder than just a
simple explanation. Then again, if this kind of education were treated
like a dance or acting class, with as much discipline and structure,
maybe it could work. Incidentally, I have noticed that if I find myself
thinking about something funny, I will pop a big smile and people will
ask me what's so funny. I'm curious if this happens to anyone else? I
get the impression that this doesn't happen to sighted people and I
assume that sighted people find themselves thinking about funny things
too, but that they just hide it better. Often I am so distracted by the
funny thought that I don't even realize I am grinning until my attention
is called to it. This is often quite awkward and embarrassing,
especially since most of the time, the funny thing I am thinking about
is just a stupid joke or something from a TV show and I don't really
feel like explaining it out loud. Can you think of a graceful way to
handle this, or to prevent it? Best, Arielle