I'm a Belly Dancer and many times as a performer I had to smile even when my heart was in tears... It is an art to fake your real feelings.
I learn to do that real well because I believe that with my smile I can make you feel better about yourself and even make you believe how special you are.

Are you able to make people believe that you are not LONELY or sad?
Next time you think about it try to do it smile not with your real heart or feelings but smile with that side of you that it is so lonely and lost that has no meaning to smile...I know it sounds wired but it is fun show the world that you are strong and don't let ever anybody see your real YOU!!! This will make you stronger and stronger...

Let me know how do you deal with your sad heart I would love to hear your recepie of a fake SMILE

Lonely Beauty

  

I can relate, sister i used to be a stripper..and I had to fake a smile and fake being happy every time..but I would get drunk and high to ease my pain ..my heart was dying and broken..I would tell myself it's all a game...That was many years ago but I still feel the pain in my heart each day..I suffer from depression and daily overwhelming saddness of just living..and I am so lonely because I don't think anyone understands...I have so many regrets...i,m a mess

I fully relate to what you are both saying, it's like every one but me is of the mindset that myself and everyone aroud me is entitled to my acceptance and respect/love/sexual desire and that all they have to to is act in a way that suggest they would like to get physical, if I don't react,you know the way a "normal" man reacts when some one throws themselves at me, which always seems to happen when there is an audience, then I'm wierd. Is it just me who finds this dishonest type of behaviour? What I mean by dishonest...I guess just comes from observing that it never seem real heartfelt, it only seems more like a show to prove how in control they are, yet underneath you can see that it is never that way when you are alone with them, only awkward feelings and me left wondering why yet one more time I ended up spending time alone with someone who only wanted to see what kind of good time I could show them, without feeling any sort of desire or responsibilty to to make me feel in anyway that they actually wanted me around other than making it obvious that they had nothing better to do, you know why not me. Here I am. entertain me, show me why this wasen't a waste of my time...blah blah blah. Hope this isn't over the top...anyway.

Yeah I can smile when my heart doesn't. That's the only way people don't know how lonely I am.Not depressed, I am loved. Just not understood. To many things I just don't understand myself, I guess, for me to really connect with people. I hope I'm not just a lost cause or a sociopath. Sometimes I feel like whats wrong with me is nothing more than a true ability. to emphithize with people. The only thing that tells me different, and I have to hold on to is that I am actually loved and cared for by a great many people.Why a can't let myself believe it all the time is beyond me. Maybe it's because there seem to be more and more people completely and proudly intent on showing what monster they can be, you know, how connected they are with there animal instincts, while I feel like i'm just trying to show everybody that I'm not a monster, just a normal caring person that actually cares if the people around me are happy and confortable and secure.

Its funny how any guy would be elated if a nice looking girl came up to him and started to chat, at least I am, but for some reason girls like to stonewall people who do this either because they are cold and distant or are convinced that just because they are beautiful, someone has an ulterior motive for approaching them. And they would be right about the last part, but this is what makes reproduction possible and girls dont seem to understand that. Oh and if youre a belly dancer this makes you in all likelihood one of the beautiful girls i was talking about. If you see a guy you like just smile at him, the chances are he wont because most men dont expect to illicit responses from girls by doing the same. Good luck

I think I can't smile so easily...

If I make eye contact with a girl and make a little smirk how can i possibly know that shes interested if she just looks away? Smiling is the most important part!

I'm always telling my closest friends that I'm fine even though I'm usually heartbroken, lonely, and/or an emotional wreck inside. I'm not good at smiling and my friends are always too busy for me but that's beside the point.

I'm also good in the art of fake-smiling

My therapist actually says that's the problem. He says that I don't show the real me to people - the real me which is mad at people for not noticing it. He also says that's why I cannot let anyone know me, because for letting someone know you, you should show a real you and not a fake smile.

I can't do it, what I feel is what shows on my face. We need in some situations to wear such smiley face, I tried a lot, but I couldn't.