I’ve always had a very expressive face, and it took a lot of practice to not reveal every single thing I’m thinking to the people around me.
It’s a tough skill to develop and not everyone bothers to try, but I’d like to think that in a good 90% of cases, I’m able to keep my actual thoughts hidden when necessary.
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That other 10% is a whole other matter.
For the most part, it’s not that I’m using my poker face to lie to people, but simply to avoid battles I don’t feel like dealing with.
These days, everyone has strong opinions and many aren’t afraid to voice them, which can result in a lot of unneeded stress and confrontation.
In some instances, that confrontation is important. The person might be harassing someone or causing a scene, and you should step in to tell them to cool it.
But when Great Aunt Bertha is known to fish for compliments every Thanksgiving, a bit of smoothness can keep things civil.
“Yes, Granny, your turkey is my favorite turkey. Number one in my book!” you can cheerfully tell her while you drown the stringy, overcooked poultry in lumpy box gravy.
You’ve got to pick your battles sometimes.
If anything, our current trying times are teaching us all how to project an air of calm while our world falls apart.
For better or worse. We’ve become very adept at looking collected and cheerful as we sit in front of our Zoom meeting cameras and attempt to get through the day.
And when that fails, at least our masks can hide our grimaces.
