This bit on how smiling projects low status is fairly interesting, particularly because I'm damn quick with a grin. As the theory goes, smiling is an adaptive behavior for weaker/lower status members of the tribe to set others at ease. That's why more elite models and football players in the pictures seem so somber. Put in slightly different language, they're playing hard-to-get. By displaying that the current activity -- say, being photographed and admired -- isn't enough to crack their melancholy, the subjects suggest that they're accustomed to a far greater level of grandeur and stimulation, and it's thus well worth one's while to elevate yourself or the event to impress such high-caliber individuals. On the other hand, photographed celebrities spend a lot of time smiling and it doesn't seem to lower their status at all. What do you guys think?
