Saturday, August 21, 2010

Happiness and happy facial expression -> light, energy synaesthesia/metaphor in everday language

"radiant smile"

"bright smile"

"she is glowing"

"bright and happy"

"shiny happy people"

"my little ray of sunshine"

"sunny disposition"

"beaming"

"glowing with pride"

"warm smile"

"basking in relected glory"

"glowing with joy"

"shine on"

"My future's so bright I gotta wear shades."

"A place in the sun"






2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As far back as 1992, in The Journal Of Medical Ethics, Richard P. Bentall proposed that happiness be classified as a personality disorder. It aeems satirical in intent, suggesting that if depression, sadness & other such emotions can be considerd disorders, then happiness & other related emotions should also be cited this way; otherwise,
the conclusion is that value judgements
are being used as criteria
for medical or psychiatric diagnoses.

"I don't like to smile unless I have a reason."

--Daria Morgendorffer


As for all that glowing, beaming, brightness, heat, etc., I don't know about anyone else,
but I'm feeling terribly dehydrated & exhausted from it, & my eyes have been getting weaker
from being subjected to all that blinding light.

Autism is often said to involve "mind-blindness", but how "mind-blind" is it to be in denial about how you really feel??

Lili Marlene said...

It is interesting that happiness, or faked happiness, are both apparently absent from the DSM in their own right as mental disorders. The depressive side of bipolar is unfortunately similar to unipolar depression, causing difficulties in diagnosis, but I don't think there is any mental disorder that corresponds closely with the manic, euphoric phase. THe only mental conditions that I can think of that correspond with happiness are autistic obsessions/special interests, and the euphoria and the hypereligiousity that is a part of an unrecognized personality disorder (Interictal PD) that is a side-effect of temporal lobe epilepsy. I've definitely known some eccentric people who are abnormally happy and religious; likeable, kind people but I you can't talk much sense to them.

I think there is definitely something wacko faking happiness, but its most likely a functional trait in our insincere society.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Mr/Ms Anonymous. Now I'm late....