Patti Reveals What is Behind Their "Cry Cover" Smiles

This is an expression I call the cry cover smile. Yes, most people who give this expression believe they are covering their true emotions with a smile.
This expression is typically found in men and I think comes from the need to keep a “stiff upper lip.” Many times this expression is an attempt to hide many intense emotions of sadness, fear and anger. I see it in men who typically have very strong egos and power and are caught and brought down. There are several photos of this expression in former Governor Blagojevich.

Congressman Wiener’s expression is a suppressed fear, disgust and anger (If you cover up his mouth and look at just his eyes you will see the whites around his eyes and his sideways glance, and disgust. Notice the wrinkled nose that is a unique movement of the face given in disgust.)
If I knew exactly when he gave that expression I could tell you whether he was disgusted with himself for what he did or disgusted with the media at a particular question or bringing his behavior to light. The wrinkled, upraised chin and tight lips show the suppression of fear and also of anger.

Spitzer also has a cry cover smile. His chin is more raised and more defiant and proud and more of the bottom lip is raised and held inside the mouth. The corners of the mouth come down significantly in a way that is more common to this expression showing his need to smile through the pain. Cover his mouth and you see his eyes are more hooded downwards at the corners and sad. This combination reminds me of the classic sad clown painted face.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

My Favorite Books of 2011 - Top 10 Favorite Books of 2011 Plus More!

I remember my first favorite book, the one I first read over and over again at the age of 9 “Little Men” by Louisa May Alcott. Yes, I preferred the adventures of boys rather than the mild, and to me hum drum lives of the “Little Women” written about by the same author.

Though I had been a reader before the age of 9 at that particular age I found that my Barbie dolls were boring and my pogo stick and tether ball no longer seemed engaging. Reading became my play, and more than that, it became my way to seek adventures, to travel through time and space, to feast on life. For me books are as essential as air, and food and sometimes more essential than sleep. I would love to know your favorite books.

In 2011, I wrote more, spoke more, and traveled more than in any year of my career. To balance my wonderful real life with my creative life that meant I also read a lot of wonderful books.

Here are my favorite books from 2011 in order of “wonderfulness.”

1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
2. Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon
3. Fifth Avenue 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson
4. Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson
5. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
6. La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith
7. The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
8. Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
9. Bittersweet by Leslie Li
10. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
11. The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier
12. How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
13. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
14. The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
15. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
16. Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin
17. Heart of Deception by M.L. Malcom
18. A Question of Attraction by David Nicholls
19. Stardust by Joseph Kanon
20. The Doctor and The Diva by Adrienne McDonnell
21. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
22. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
23. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
24. The Empress of One by Faith Sullivan
25. The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
26. Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright
27. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
28. The Imperfectionist by Tom Rachman
29. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

My two favorite Autobiographies this year

30. Bossypants by Tina Fey
31. Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

Favorite nonfiction book

32. Paid to Speak with one little chapter by me

More Wonderful Books by Authors I Love

There are some authors whose books you read simply because you love their writing and other authors you read simply because you love the characters and want to see what happens next. I have read all the books published by the following authors. This list is of books of theirs that I read in 2010.

33. The Innocent Man by John Grisham(Excellent,but read it when you can stay up all night)
34. The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell
35. The Red Door by Charles Todd An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
36. Careless in Red by Elizabeth George
37. The Cooper Beach by Maeve Binchy
38. Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby
39. New England White by Stephan L Carter ( Author of the Emperor of Ocean Park)
40. Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin
41. The Water Room- A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery by Christopher Fowler
42. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
43. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson
44. The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
45. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
46. Mary Ann In Autumn by Armistead Maupin
47. Both of Betty White’s Biographies

The following books I read and later gave to friends who liked them more than I did

48. One Day by David Nicholls
49. Elements of Style by Wendy Wasserstein
50. Grange House by Sarah Blake
51. Rescue by Anita Shreve
52. The Ghost of Greenwhich Village by Lorna Graham
53. The Colour by Rose Tremain

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

The Gold Container

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Moral of the story: In a very real sense, each one of us, as human beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

Friends please do not take family members for granted. Love them, Acknowledge them, Hug them, and Kiss them. Don't be too busy Earning a Living that you forget to LIVE.
Story is from an unknown source. If you know it’s origin please let us know.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.