I tend to smile often

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I have a big major problem.

I tend to smile out of a sudden. It has been happening since 2013.

I mean sometimes I will be in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water. And my father will stand in front of me, using the microwave. I feel the urge to break into a smile.

Or I might be watching the tv, and my mother will come and try to sit beside me, I also tend to smile out of a sudden when I notice she is looking at me.

This also happens when I go out. When I walk on the street and I notice a person is looking at me, the smile occurs again.

I'm worried whether there is something wrong with me. I mean who will tend to smile out of a sudden. I have tried controlling but I can't stop myself from smiling.

I'm afraid people will think i'm crazy or something. i feel frustrated with my life.

Do you think I have mental issues?

[TentoumuChu]

Don't worry, I keep smiling all the times. I think it's a healthy way to deal with problems.
<and sometimes, I do talk to myself>

[yousir]

Yes it is a problem. Why should we smile or feel happiness? That is a mental illness.
we should all be miserable, frowning, ugly...

[CellarDweller]

what's wrong with smiling?

[CellarDweller]

Yes it is a problem. Why should we smile or feel happiness? That is a mental illness.
we should all be miserable, frowning, ugly...

LOL......I can just imagine how everyone would look.

[Anonymous]

what's wrong with smiling?

I'll explain further. I feel a great amount of anxiety within myself when this smile occurs. Its not the normal smile you give when you see a person.

About the mother - tv situation, I will be looking at the tv and break into a smile (feeling anxious that my mum is looking at me). Its not that I turn to look at her and smile. (which is normal because you smile at a person.)

My smile is occurring as a response to my anxiousness that I feel when people look at me.

I can clarify further if you feel I'm not being detailed enough.

[Rareboy]

Well, if it bothering you, seek out a neuro- psychologist..

I would give anything to go back to a time in my life when I smiled spontaneously...particularly as a response to anxiety.

In the meantime:

http://langint.pri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ai/intr..._laugh.pdf

[Pyromancer]

It's not uncommon for people with social anxiety to smile or even laugh inappropriately when they feel stressed. This can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings and embarrassment. You need to be focusing on the anxiety. You need to work with a counselor or therapist...any mental health professional will be aware of this sort of behavior ---they won't think you're "crazy" and they'll be able to help. But you certainly aren't alone in this, it's more common than you think.

[kjames]

I understand the smiling/anxiety thing. Regardless, you should continue to smile because it does help facilitate change in your environment. I have often been asked or commented on my excessive smiling. People tend to gravitate toward people that smile often hoping it will be contagious. If your like me, you attract people that "Dump" all their problems on you. In that case your anxiety may not be your own and you need to figure out ways to shield that negative energy.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Actually yes, it could be a symptom of a deeper issue.

Since this is causing you anxiety (which is a mental health issue in and of its own), I would advise you see the opinion of a psychologist. Not a psychiatrist - You need a therapist to sit down with you for a few or several sessions to discuss what is going on and peel this onion to see what lies beneath.

It may be simply shyness - or real happiness, or it may be a masking/defense mechanism - finding out the 'why' it happens, leads to figuring out ways to either lead to your ability to accept it and work with it, or toward you finding methods to break this 'habit' and find an alternative method to deal with what ever the underlying cause is.