TresSugar

Do Tell: How Do You React When a Man Tells You to Smile

TresSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:00:00 -0700

I never really dealt with this problem until I moved to New York City, where it seems men from all walks of life and ages often felt the need to stop me in my tracks by telling me to smile.

I don't think a man can understand how infuriating it can be to be asked to smile when you're in the middle of something - like thinking, daydreaming or just zoning out. Why should I smile at you, I think, just because you asked me to. Shouldn't I smile when I feel like it? It's invasive, it's sexist (women are supposed to always be happy and pay attention to men), and basically, it's just annoying.

I tended to ignore them, which sometimes then made them angry. "Bitch," they'd say. Or maybe, "Why so unhappy?" Sigh. How do you react when a man tells you to smile?

Can You Guess Which Julia Roberts Smile Is Genuine?

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:00:00 -0700

People who study the physiology of facial expressions agree, thanks to the research of pioneering 19th-century French physician Guillaume Duchenne, that it's easy to recognize a genuine smile, as opposed to one that's merely social.

Looking at the two photos of smiley Julia Roberts up there, can you guess which one fits the criteria for a genuine smile? I'll explain it after you answer.

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Take the quiz

Relationship Protocol: How Do You Cheer Each Other Up?

DearSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700

When you’re in a relationship, one person’s mood undoubtedly affects the other’s. If you’re angry, he’s going to be worried until he knows what’s wrong, and if he’s sad, you’re going to be concerned until he starts to perk up. But while being in a relationship does make moods interdependent, it also gives you an automatic cheer-up buddy - the person who will pull out all the stops to get you smiling again. Ladies, when you’re down and out, what does your man do to get you up and feeling like yourself again? And do you have any tricks to make him happy?

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Dear Poll: Does Your Boyfriend Make You Laugh?

DearSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:00 -0700

For me, humor isn’t just an important aspect of a significant other; it’s an absolute must. I need to be around someone who can make me laugh, both in the best of times, and also during the worst. I’ve come to realize though that not everyone shares my sentiments. So does your boyfriend’s sense of humor make you giggle?

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Little Things to Make You Smile

DearSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I always know I'm in a good mood or feeling happy if I catch myself sporting a big goofy grin just going about my day-to-day business. All it takes is a simple moment or a kind word to perk me up and get me grinning. However, sometimes, and I don't think I'm alone on this, a smile is a lot harder to come by than it should be. In an attempt to make every day smile worthy, I've put together a list of little things that always leave me with a happy feeling. Check them out and add your own!

Getting a random hug from someone you love.
A latte executed just how you like it.
Rain on your roof at night.
And a sunny morning the next day.
Scarves, purses, and new shoes!
A phone call from an old friend.
Green lights all the way home.
Receiving an actual card in the mail.
Getting dressed in the morning and realizing it's going to be a "skinny" day.

To see the rest of my list read more.

Finding $20 in your pocket.
Seeing pudgy baby legs poking out of a stroller.
Coming home to a clean house.
A work day that flies by.
Licking the frosting off a cupcake.
Free parking.
Seeing an elderly couple holding hands.
Puppies and kittens.

What little thing puts a spring in your step?

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Pillow Talk: Laughing

DearSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 08:00:00 -0800

As we all know, maintaing a successful relationship takes work and dedication, but good, old-fashioned fun is a big part of the equation as well. A great many of my best and sweetest memories involve laughing with my partner. "Laughter is the best medicine" is an old adage, but research shows it isn't just a cliche after all.

To read more read more

According to Martie Haselton, associate professor of psychology at UCLA,

. . . the research is showing that humor is playing a surprising and important role in human relationships, perhaps as important as physical attraction.

Finding someone with a sense of humor is often an important quality in a potential partner, but Rod Martin, president of the International Society for Humor Studies, has found that while women want to find a partner who makes them laugh, men look for women who will laugh at their jokes, which makes attracting a partner a little harder for the funny ladies.

Turns out, laughter between couples can be a sign of trust, too.

Humor and laughter often communicate something much deeper than the appreciation of a joke. Robert Provine, author of "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation," said that 90 percent of the things we laugh at aren’t even remotely funny.

"Most laughter is not about jokes," he explained. "It's about relationships between people.” Laughing says more about how someone feels toward another person; it's an indicator of how much they like, trust or agree with that person, Provine said.

And while laughter can be helpful when resolving conflict, real problems can erupt if a partner doesn't know when to get serious! For some surprising information on the connection between laughter, courtship and love, click here.

As for laughter's medicinal qualities, this article from Natural Health reports significant findings about laughter's ability to help defend against infections.

Laughter boosts the activity of your immune system's natural killer cells and other defenses against infections, according to a 2001 study in Alternative Therapies in Health, and Medicine. It also appears to reduce the amount of hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, that your body produces during times of stress. Repeated release of these hormones over time can weaken your immune system.

That link also includes 4 quick tips for lightening up, calming your body and mind, and preventing stress from taking over.

Let's laugh a little more, at ourselves and with each other, ladies. And what if GiggleSugar actually prevented a cold? How much laughter is there in your house? How about the house you grew up in?

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Laughing Without Smiling: Impossible?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:00:00 -0800

So this is what Saturday night at the insane asylum looks like. Either that, or a typical weekend for me.

Thanks, eBaum's World!

Pursue Your Happiness With Posts From TrèsSugar Past

TresSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

It's Pursuit of Happiness Week, so let's look back at posts that made us smile, or maybe just consider it. Nothing wrong with that! Test your knowledge on the science of happiness; tell us how you lift your spirits; or find out if love really is all you need and if happiness has an expiration date. Not feeling it? Well then tell us if happiness is contagious or grating. If all that fails, we've got the key, or chart, to happiness.

Science of Happiness Quiz	How Do You Lift Your Spirits?	Is Happiness Contagious?
Is There an Ideal Age For Happiness?	Love Is All You Need	Are You?

When you're done, head over to The Couch on the TrèsSugar Community - Pursuit of Happiness Week is being celebrated there, too.

Source: Flickr Users OpenEye, Lukeje, and naukhel

Curmudgeons, Rejoice: Being Grumpy Might Be Good For You!

TresSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:05:00 -0800

Australian psychology professor Joe Forgas has concluded through his research that grumpy people tend to think more clearly, and because of their skepticism, they also make better decisions than their more cheerful and gullible counterparts.

Cheerfulness isn't all bad, though. Forgas says it encourages creativity. Bad moods, however, incite "attentiveness and careful thinking."

How did he figure this out? He asked volunteers to watch films while thinking of either positive or negative events in their lives, in the hopes they'd be put into good or bad moods.

Then, to test their powers of analysis, he had them judge the truth of urban myths and provide eyewitness accounts of events. The results: the grumps made fewer mistakes and were better at communicating.

"Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, co-operation and reliance on mental shortcuts," said Professor Forgas, "negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world."

If you see a smile on my usually grumpy face today, it's temporary - I'm just gloating.

Models Strip Against Climate Change - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

A few days ago, an International Day of Climate Action was put on by the global campaign 350.org. Figuring the public is more likely to pay attention to practically naked models than Al Gore (naked or not), the group put together a video of smiling models taking off their clothes because global warming makes them too hot. I'm already skeptical of naked activism, but I think this video is trying to appeal to people who like barely-clothed models. I think they might want to rethink their angle - if global warming causes beautiful people to strip, won't some people think that's a good thing?