Poll: Have random people ever asked you to cheer up?

[BiscuitTrouser]

No and i doubt id ever say it. If i saw someone REALLY upset id probably go to gregs and buy them a muffin or come coffee or pay for their meal if i saw them in an eating place or whatever. Do something genuinely nice with no expectation on their part. See i think the annoying thing about "Smile" is youre not offering anything of value to someone who is upset, youre not helping them, youre just reminding them of an emotion they are not feeling right now but want to. Its a little pointless and all youre doing is putting ANOTHER vague expectation on them. It might ADD to the stress. I know the intent is pure and kind but theres better ways of expressing it. Do something that puts the onus on YOU to do something not them. Dont put more pressure, no matter how innocuous or small, onto an already upset person. Take something OFF their mind instead by doing something nice.

 

[Jharry5]

Yeah, that's happened to me once or twice, most memorably at my job a few months back.
I was at the entrance, checking that everyone going in had paid. But I'd got a certain person on my mind, and I was mulling the situation over in the quieter moments. I thought I'd got a neutral expression on my face... but then a customer passed me by and said "Cheer up mate, it might never happen".
"Yeah, and therein lies the problem" I thought to myself.
But to the customer, I just laughed it off, said I was in my own little world and wished him a safe journey home.
To be honest, I can't think of any other way to respond to something like that. I'm sure that the guy who said it to me didn't mean it maliciously, so I had to treat it as such. It annoyed me at the time, but that's probably because he'd (unintentionally) put into words what I was worrying about. Ah well, c'est la vie.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

All the time and it annoys me to hell and back.
My neutral face apparently looks like I'm about to commit suicide. My teachers have taken me out of class because they thought a family member died or something and wanted to know what was wrong.

 

[mecegirl]

The thing is...most peoples neutral face isn't a smile anyway. Some may be more frowny than others but it is rarely pleasant. That's part of the reason why I don't get the telling people to smile thing. Like...have these people never seen what their face looks like at rest?

 

[Phasmal]

Yes, I have perma-bitchface.
I've been told I look `so upset` when I'm not doing anything.
I guess I have a grumpy face.

I always think its really rude. Thanks for reminding me I've got a grumpy face, asshole.
I'm not very sociable with strangers, but apparently on top of having a grumpy face, I have a face strangers just have to talk to. It's very irritating.

 

[Legion]

"smile, it might never happen"

This one, more than any other irritates the hell out of me. Apparently the concept of "it" already having happened, hasn't occurred to such people. Which goes back to how rude it is to be so presumptuous as to tell a stranger they ought to be happier than they appear. It is also pretty self centred and arrogant when it comes down to it, as the person is also assuming that because they are happy, everybody should be like them.

 

[Euryalus]

Yupyup.

I've had "cheer up", smile, it might never happen" and "pretty girls shouldn't frown" or some variation of that.
Maybe my resting face just makes me look like a miserable fuck, I don't know.

I think it's rude and it really annoys me when it happens so I tend to just completely ignore the person.

My resting face definitely looks like a miserable fuck XD

I get asked what's wrong all the time.

...And then when I'm at my low points people don't even care. The irony!

-snip-

You seem a little grumpy Eevee. You should cheer up! No one likes a grumpy person >

...Don't hit me XD

 

[EeveeElectro]

Yupyup.

I've had "cheer up", smile, it might never happen" and "pretty girls shouldn't frown" or some variation of that.
Maybe my resting face just makes me look like a miserable fuck, I don't know.

I think it's rude and it really annoys me when it happens so I tend to just completely ignore the person.

My resting face definitely looks like a miserable fuck XD

I get asked what's wrong all the time.

...And then when I'm at my low points people don't even care. The irony!

-snip-

You seem a little grumpy Eevee. You should cheer up! No one likes a grumpy person >

...Don't hit me XD

Be careful you don't run into my fist!

Apparently this is another issue that gets my blood boiling, it can join the pile.
Maybe it's because I had to deal with a complete ignorant fuck a short while ago who got the brunt of my bipolar, and responded with 'well maybe you should put the keyboard down'
Not only was it patronising, it was ignorant. People like him with perfect lives can't wrap their heads around biploar and how uncontrollable it is.

Poor sod, people with no empathy usually end up alone.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Not only was it patronising, it was ignorant. People like him with perfect lives can't wrap their heads around biploar and how uncontrollable it is.

Poor sod, people with no empathy usually end up alone.

If it was ignorant, was it really patronising, in his mind, then? If he is ignorant why not inform him of his misconception of that part of the world? Rather than hoping he dies alone and miserable?

 

[GonzoGamer]

Noooo.
But I live in NYC where most people mind their own fucking business; of course this has changed a bit over the last 15 years or so as more and more of the city has become gentrified.

Reminds me of this George Carlin rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X0MDBqyYZQ

 

[Yopaz]

Never happened to me, but girls smile at me quite often which I guess is more of a non-vocal way of doing the same. I usually smile back when that happens so I guess it makes me smile at least.

A friend of mine once got the line "You look exhausted, want me to hold your boobs for you?" which is also similar. She wasn't too pleased with that comment for some reason...

 

[EeveeElectro]

Not only was it patronising, it was ignorant. People like him with perfect lives can't wrap their heads around biploar and how uncontrollable it is.

Poor sod, people with no empathy usually end up alone.

If it was ignorant, was it really patronising, in his mind, then? If he is ignorant why not inform him of his misconception of that part of the world? Rather than hoping he dies alone and miserable?

I did. I try help as many people as I can out, it's a difficult concept at times and some people struggle to understand. I wrote a blog on it actually to try help those affected by depression (family members or friends of sufferers too) and the response I've had so far is great.

Unfortunately, in his case some people are just incapable of understanding. At least I tried, but not everyone can understand.
That's fine, but when people lack basic human morals and don't know how to treat people, it annoys me.

 

[bluegate]

Hasn't happened to me in my life time, however, I don't think I would mind if someone were to tell me to cheer up or crack a smile. The world could use more smiles and happy people, the world is also in use of more people that not only care about themselves but about others too. If someone were to tell me to cheer up, I'd most likely start a conversation with them.

Even if you aren't depressed or whatever, could it hurt to just give the person a friendly smile or just say something along the lines of 'Oh, thanks, but I'm fine '.

 

[Something Amyss]

Yupyup.

I've had "cheer up", smile, it might never happen" and "pretty girls shouldn't frown" or some variation of that.
Maybe my resting face just makes me look like a miserable fuck, I don't know.

I think it's rude and it really annoys me when it happens so I tend to just completely ignore the person.

I thought the Irish were supposed to be miserable!

*flees*

To be fair, most of my knowledge of Europe comes from that documentary. You know, Eurotrip.

OT: smiling is learned behaviour for me. Actually, facial expressions in general. I have a flat expression even when I'm in pain, for example. A lot of time this is taken as frowning or scowling.

Also, I've been in constant pain for two years, so people naturally try and get me to cheer up despite my health problems, but I feel like that's cheating a little.

 

[Phasmal]

Hasn't happened to me in my life time, however, I don't think I would mind if someone were to tell me to cheer up or crack a smile. The world could use more smiles and happy people, the world is also in use of more people that not only care about themselves but about others too. If someone were to tell me to cheer up, I'd most likely start a conversation with them.

Even if you aren't depressed or whatever, could it hurt to just give the person a friendly smile or just say something along the lines of 'Oh, thanks, but I'm fine '.

I dunno. Someone coming up to you and basically going `I've noticed you aren't making the facial expression I think you should be making` is kind of rude. If you're willing to go up to random strangers to ask them to do certain things with their face to please you, you shouldn't be surprised if they tell you where to go.

 

[Knife]

When I'm tired I tend to get the "gazing into infinity" look that people misinterpret as being sad.
I've gotten quite a few of those "cheer up" requests over the years - some rather rude, others genuinely concerned.

When a person who knows next to nothing about you, assumes he knows what you're going through and what you feel on the inside and how you should behave, when that person acts as though he is more qualified to live your life than you are and treats his own opinion as though it is fact, that comes off as extremely rude.

There are however people who are just kind by nature and don't want to see anyone in pain. When they see someone who looks sad they try to help him. I'm far more understanding and civil to such people. It's one thing to say "cheer up" like you're giving an order to a misbehaving dog and another to actually try and cheer someone up.

If I run into someone who looks miserable and want to help him out I usually go with something along the lines of "You okay?", if he says he is I leave him alone, if not I try to listen and offer some advice.
I'm male by the way if that's of any relevance.

 

[Jenvas1306]

did I just vote for female and no as the first person?...

no stranger has ever told me to cheer up, simply because I am smiling most of the time anyways. everyday I can interact with others and feel like myself is great, so its really not hard to look happy when I am happy.

smiling makes happy btw, our brain is weird like that.

btw, what has gender to do with this?

 

[Boris Goodenough]

smiling makes happy btw, our brain is weird like that.

I've only ever asked someone to smile once while I was smiling, and that was the effect I was hoping for, not to please me, as I was walking away a second later.

 

[the doom cannon]

Im a guy, and I've been told to cheer up, smile, etc. But it's usually buy a random nice old lady just being a nice old lady. I must live under a rock though, because I never knew that "cheer up" or "put a smile on your face" were common pickup lines. learn something new every day i suppose

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Nope, and likely never will. I live in a country where saying that to a random person can really get you labeled as a weirdo. Plus I'm 1 m 84 cm tall and quite heavily built, meaning that someone will think twice before saying anything to me when I'm looking grumpy.