Nonverbal Communication

One of the parts in chapter six of Gendered Lives that I could really relate to was on smiling. This section points out that women tend to smile more than men, which demonstrates their responsiveness and lets others know that they are approachable (Wood 131). It also goes into a discussion about how "if a White woman does not smile and maintain eye contact, others are likely to think she is angry or upset" (Wood 131). I experienced this yesterday, first-hand, in my Cell Biology lab. My lab partner and I were trying to isolate proteins from a solution and I was just not feeling like myself due to a variety of reasons. It was my last class of the week, the ragweed had been getting to me, and I had not been sleeping well because we just got a kitten that likes to sleep on my head. My partner asked me if everything was okay and she seemed to be genuinely concerned. I explained to her how I was feeling and she told me that I was acting differently. I realized after this exchange that it was because I was not smiling and talking as much as I usually do.

I also enjoyed reading what Elaine had to say in the gray box on page 131. She was talking about how she "never realized how automatic smiling is for [her]" (Wood 131). After reading this section, I started noticing when and how often I smile during the day. I smile when I pass people on the sidewalk, I smile when someone gets on the elevator with me, and I smile when people amuse me. There are so many situations throughout the day that make me smile, and I really didn’t pay attention to it until I read this section on nonverbal communication. Women (particularly Caucasians, according to Wood) have been socialized into believing that smiling is the friendly, and often polite, thing to do when interacting and encountering others in our day-to-day lives. Chapter six really opened my eyes and made me start noticing how often and in which situations people tend to smile.