We inherit our smiles. Cal Izzard at Delaware has been studying this for years.
Certain basic emotional expressions are essentially reflexive reactions to mood
states. There are some interesting stories of patients with strokes who were
paralyzed on one side the face. When asked to make the movement of a smile to
command, one side of the face remained paralyzed. When the the patient was told a
joke, both sides of the face formed the smile.
Mike Williams
Thom Brown wrote:
> Why would you have to imitate to learn this?
>
> Isn't just making random mouth configurations sufficient? And when there
> is a smile (high probability given the musculature), it's followed by reinforcers.
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > Hello -
> >
> > This is a cut and paste from my discussion board:
> >
> > When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to
> > teach
> > them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do,
> > seeing or
> > not? Or do blind people not smile?
> >
> > It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and
> > dad
> > smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them
> > smiling
> > at you, how would you learn?
> >
> > It's a great question - does anyone have an idea about it?
> >
> > Nancy Melucci
> > ELAC
>
> --
> Thom
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Thomas G. Brown, Ph.D.
> Professor of Psychology
> Distinguished Professor of the College
>
> Utica College of Syracuse University
> 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, New York, 13502-4892
> Voice: 315/792-3187 Fax: 315/792-3187
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life."
>
> - William James
