I’ve learned this from personal experience. Every man will tell you, if choosing between a picture of you not smiling and one of you smiling, he will favor the smiling picture. Guaranteed.

So, I sent Mr. Sleepless in Seattle some pictures of me. Most of them with me not smiling:

I don’t like smiling in pictures. Being Asian, I’m cursed with the typical very wide face, haha not to mention flat! So I feel like smiling in pictures increases the width even more! How vain am I? Pretty vain. And isn’t it true that the camera adds like 30 pounds? (Okay it’s really 10 but I’m going with 30 to rationalize the instant camera weight gain I don’t want to accept) Which picture did he favor? The one of him and me in high school.

So this whole time I was feeling all insecure, thinking, he’s going to expect me to walk off the plane looking exactly the way I looked in high school, and he’s going to be sorely disappointed! But the reality is that he just wanted me to smile in the pictures.

So silly how women work themselves up to a frenzy when it comes to limited evidence. Our minds somehow think worst possible scenario? I assumed he liked the one in high school best because I was skinnier or younger or prettier.

But the reality?

I look happier! I’m smiling! So I emailed him these pics:

He says we’re going to take pictures when I go to see him, but only pictures with me smiling! GRRRRRR…Looks like I’m going to have to get over my fear of smiling in pictures soon…

I asked my brother, Allan, if guys favor smiling pictures over non-smiling pictures. He was like, of course I’d rather see a woman smile in pictures! I’d rather see a woman smile period.

Reminded me of this Audrey Hepburn quote:

I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.

Why do guys favor smiling women? Who knows.

Maybe it’s…

• Because happiness increases your hotness factor?
• Because they want to be with women who show evidence that they can be pleased? Hence, the chances of them succeeding in making you happy are increased? Back to the principle that men want success in everything they pursue?
• Because happiness is attractive? Who doesn’t want to be happy? We’re drawn to what we want. We want happiness? We’re drawn to happy people.
• Or maybe it’s just plain and simple: Women are just more attractive when they are smiling.