When hiding becomes habit—and your smile becomes your shield.

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False Rule Embedded in Society:

Being “positive” is more important than being real.

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The Rules We Learn Without Knowing

At some point, we realize:

• Sadness makes others uncomfortable
• Anger makes us seem difficult
• Vulnerability makes us look weak

So we smile.

We smile when we’re anxious.

We smile when we’re dismissed.

We smile to survive.

What started as a coping strategy becomes a mask—until even we forget what’s underneath.

How the Smile Becomes a Survival Strategy