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We are all familiar with the social mandate of smiling for photographs. Every time someone points a lens at our mug, we are expected to give a wide, toothy smile. If you don’t comply, the photographer will quickly remind you with a religious “say cheese!”. Many years ago, it occurred to me that this practice was not only shallow but silly. Granted, a candid smile captured in photography can be telling and beautiful. On the other hand, a contrived smile for a photograph, not so much. Here is why.

Let us start at the beginning and discuss why humans smile in the first place. There is a biological imperative that babies need to communicate with their parents. At first, a baby smiles reflexively; in the first two months, they try to identify faces. After two months , a baby can initiate a facial response as a way of communicating with the onlooker. Babies are the most helpless creatures on the planet.…