The look on your face when no one's looking says a lot about you.
Hi, I'm Mary Carr and I'm from Winterhaven, Florida. Let's talk about that.
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- You can win Mythical Shoes. - (inhales) Did you breathe in as much of
the universe as possible this morning? And then exhale the universe back
- into the universe? - (exhales) That was the motivational
speech that we gave yesterday. You were listening, Link!
- I've thought a lot about it since then, - (inhales)
- and I haven't made more sense of it. - You need to cross your eyes a little bit
- when you inhale, though. - (both inhale)
- (both exhale) - Then uncross them as you exhale.
- (exhales) - You know, breathing is a good thing
whether you involve the universe in it is your own business.
I don't think there's any way to not involve the universe in breathing.
- If you figure that out, call us. - Plenty of things to talk about today.
Things that we've talked about amongst ourselves in the past that we think can
have a positive impact on your quality of life.
- (laughs) Yes. Is that what this is about? - That was my little intro.
Something happened to me recently when I was at a restaurant, and it reminded me of
- something that we have talked about often. - Yes.
I was at the old Fuddruckers. You know, Fuddruckers?
- Yeah. - Gotta be careful.
Is it as dangerous to eat there as it is to pronounce it?
(laughs) Uh, no, it's pretty straightforward to eat there.
- Okay. - Much more straightforward to eat there.
But I actually haven't been-- it's the first time I've ever been to Fuddruckers
- as a family. - I've always been afraid to go.
'Cause you just say, "Let's go to that restaurant. I'm not gonna say what it is,
- but let's just go to that one." - Right. I've never been.
The one with the burgers. We go in, and the way it works is you order from
someone who's... you don't sit down. You go and you order your food and then
you wait for it to be made and then you go pick it up.
So it kind of happens like a fast food restaurant but then there's, like, nicer
places to sit. It's kinda like... it's sorta like a fast food restaurant the more
- I think about it. - Okay.
But that's besides the point. But as I was ordering my burger and the family's
assorted burgers, I took note of the facial expression on the girl who was
taking my order, and I thought to myself, "She has a pleasant facial expression."
"She seems happy to be at Fuddruckers. She seems happy to be serving my family
burgers, or at least finding out what we want."
- So what was it like? - It was just sort of...
- I guess that's happy. - She was... I mean--
- Pleasant. - I don't do happy very well, but she
- was happy and inviting. Then... - Did she make a motion with her hands
- like "Next?" - It was all isolated in the face. That's
kind of my point. It all happened in the face and it just seemed like her default
facial expression was one of invitation to order burgers and be happy about it.
Or as I would call it, the "de-FAULT facial expression." You emphasize the "de" and
I emphasize the "fault" and we'll meet in the middle and people can side on either
side. But yeah, that's really what we're getting to is that she had a default
- facial expression. - Or a DE-fault. And then the girl who,
when they said, (nasally) "Rhett! Order for Rhett!" (normally) I went up
there to get it and the girl who was giving me the burger then, she had a bad
facial expression that made me feel like I had done something wrong. It was like
this, it was like... the way she pushed me the burgers was like....
So her left corner of her mouth went up and her right corner went down.
It wasn't that complex. And it wasn't-- I think I maybe just made an expression
like, "I don't like working at Fuddruckers" but it was more like, "I can't believe you
ordered that type of burger." It was just like, you know, she judged me. And it
- was all default facial expression. - And this is what we mean by
"default facial expression." It's the face that you make when you're not making
a face at all. When you don't have any thoughts that would lead to expressing
- emotions on your face. - Mmhm.
It's the at-rest position of your face when there's no need to communicate
- anything. - When you're not experiencing any
emotions other than just... whatever happens when you sit waiting for a
- plane in an airport. - Right. That's where we first started to
have this discussion, waiting for a plane. You know, it's a great place to do
people-watching. A mall will also work. You sit down on a bench. Just watch people
going by or sitting on other benches waiting for planes, shopping aimlessly
- Mmhm. - for earrings or whatever they do at
those little kiosks. Bluetooth headsets. People aren't thinking... you know?
They're not in active communication with somebody, they're just going about their
business, but looking at their face and analyzing what it's saying when they're
not intending to say anything is fascinating.
Because everyone is making an expression. That's the thing. You might be like,
"What're you talking about? Nobody's-- They're not making a face." No, they ARE
making a face, and some people, like this girl at Fuddruckers, has a pleasant...
pleasant... like, her default expression was just one of quiet, happy, confidence.
So it's the face you're making when you're not making a face, because if you have a
face, you're always making some sort of a face.
- Some "snort" of a face. - Even if you're not... snort of doing it
- on purpose. - But you know, the thing that gets me is
there are a lot of people... and you see this in a lot of... I don't wanna typify
somebody, but you know, when I think, like, Orange County... 24-year-old girl.
- Okay. - I think...
Like a biker? I think of bikers when I think of Orange County.
No, I'm talking, like, the OC, like where the rich people live.
Oh. Isn't there also a biker reality show there?
- But that really throws off my point. - So forget about that.
Like a Paris Hilton. She looks... annoyed. Her default expression is one of
- annoyance. It's just like... - Like her eyes are going up, kinda, and
- her... she's breathing out of her nose. - I can't even do it, but it's just...
You know, I've had friends-- we're no longer friends for this reason--
but their default facial expression is one of... it's like, "I'm smellin' something."
Like the nostrils are flared. Like, just the natural expression is more of a...
- Like "I just smelled something pungent." - But they're not upset about anything!
- It's the default! Or a DE-fault. - Yeah.
- It is just the face they make at rest. - They're not smelling anything at that
moment. Have you ever run across these people? Maybe you are one of these people.
Well, that's where we're gettin' to. But some people, their default facial
expression-- I'm adopting your lingo now--
- Yeah. - is a mouth-open... partially open
like this.
Now that can-- this can be one of two things. The expression you're making,
where the mouth is gaped open and the eyes are blank... is just one of... I'm sorry,
but you look stupid if you're just at rest in this way. Now, if the eyes are open
a little bit and they're focused on something, you could-- your default
facial expression could be that you're freaked out. So, either way, when your
mouth's open, you got two options: you're either stupid or you're freaked out.
But if your mouth open is your default expression, you're stupid. I'm sorry.
I'm just telling you. You need to keep mouth closed! Don't just sit there with
your mouth open! Don't be a mouth breather! Don't be a mouth breather!
But the people are saying, "What if I have a sinus infection?" I can't--
- (snorts) can't breathe out your nose! - When you're sick, when you're sick, all
bets are off. You can do whatever you want to when you're sick. But when you're
completely healthy, keep the mouth closed. Just figure out a way. I don't know if
there's, like, a structural issue there, but just figure out a way to get the lips
(muffled) to meet in the middle. Even if you have to do this.
(normally) It's better than... Listen. You usually make a default facial expression
in, like, a job interview. If you go into a job interview
- Yep. - and the dude is asking you a question
- and you're like... You won't get hired. - Yeah. We don't have to go out on a limb
- there. - You won't get hired.
A job interview's a good way to think about it. If you've got the default,
you know, "I'm critical and not happy," like where the frown... you know? If your
mouth goes down? I don't think you're gonna get a job either.
- You might get one in quality control. - That is true. (laughs)
Let's put this guy somewhere where he can make judgments about things. Which kind of
leads to... we both have default facial expressions.
Well let me see. Assume your...
- Definitely not happy. Definitely... - I know. I've seen...
- It's the eyebrows. - My wife has told me about this.
When I'm at rest... if I'm thinking about anything-- and I'm usually thinking about
something-- my mouth is closed, first of all.
- Yeah. - But I crinkle my eyebrows. And I know
- that I look a little bit like... - Mmhm.
"This guy's thinking about something and it's probably negative." I mean, I admit
- that. So I have been-- - It's borderline confused, and
- that's dangerous. - I take that into account when I interact
with somebody. Like when I meet somebody for the first time, I try to think,
"Oh, you look like a jerk right now. You need to..."
Raise your eyebrows maybe. Oh, you go with a smile? You try to feign a smile?
Just a little-- just like the girl at Fuddruckers a little bit. Just sort of a...
That doesn't work for you, man. You can't fake a smile. You gotta...
Forget that. Just raise the eyebrows. Like, be mad. Even be mad. And then...
Look at the people. And then raise the eyebrows. (laughs) Your nostril is flaring!
That's better. That's an improvement. What do you think about me?
All right, I'm waitin' for a plane.
I'm trying not to be annoyed that I'm waiting for a plane. I expected it,
so I'm just...
- You look a little sad! - I do have older people come up to me
in public places and say, "Can I help you with something?"
- (laughs) - I have had that happen.
- If I'm just sittin' on a bench... - (softly) Are you lost? (laughs)
Older women come up to me as if I'm a lost... an isolated toddler.
- Where are your parents at? - Yeah. (laughs)
So, I mean, I guess I would change... maybe just give a little upturn to the--
Just one side of your face. (laughs)
Just don't-- you got sad eyes. Just sort of-- (laughs)
- I think the point here is... - Maybe one-- if I look up,
- it's kind of in wonderment. - You all have a default facial expression,
- and you need to know what it is. - Discover it and tame it!
You either need to own it, or you need to take it into account in different social
situations. And if you're a mouth breather, you need to make serious efforts to keep
- the mouth closed at all times. - And if you have a sinus infection, just
- hold your breath! - (laughs)
Let's spin the wheel and see how we're gonna end this episode of
Good Mythical Morning. We're here to help you. We're here to spark conversations and
be your friends.
(Rhett) Interpretive dance.
- Who dances? - I think it's your turn to dance.
I've definitely danced in the past. Let's move this out of the way here.
(dramatically, over soft music) As a seedling is planted in the dirt, and
emerges when it feels the rays of the sun, slowly, with a default facial expression
of sheer wonderment mixed with "I'm smelling something bad"...
The petals of the flower reach out to photosynthesize. It breathes in
the universe, and as it breathes out, it's as if the flower is saying, "Thank you for
making us a part of your morning routine whenever your Mythical Morning may happen."
And then it dies.
But you don't die. You continue watching.
[Captioned by Caitrin: GMM Captioning Team]