Unable to fake a smile

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I've always had trouble smiling when I didn't actually feel like it, so when I smile it's pretty much always a genuine one. Even when I try to fake a smile in front of a mirror it usually looks very odd or like a grimace rather than an actual smile. It can be annoying at times when someone takes a picture of me, because I just don't know what to do with my face and mouth in order to make it look real. Do you also have this problem and if yes, how much does it bother you (assuming it bothers you at all)?

I cant fake a smile & I didn't even know that was a thing till I joined this forum so it doesn't bother me. I just wish people would quit assuming I'm in a bad mood when I'm not

I can fake a smile, but I have to concentrate in order to do so and it's hard to do other things while I focus on smiling. Even listening is hard if I have to force myself to smile while doing so. It was never a problem for me, but it sure has been a problem for others...

It's easy for me. But, growing up, I trained in dance classes and performed in dance recitals. They teach you not just to plaster on a smile, but to find meaning in the music, feel the feelings behind it, and then let that inform your face and body in order to tell the story. This was not natural for me, but I was taught how and it became OK.

So now, I still have "performance mode", and I can be very expressive and presentational. I can respond in all the "right" ways as long as I know that I am supposed to. For example, If I am going to a party and expecting to meet some new fancy people, I know to turn "performance mode" on and I can be genuine (fake) smiley up the wazoo. It's just acting.

However, in normal day to day life, it's way too exhausting to be acting all the time, so "performance mode" is off and I tend lack facial expression in general. I wouldn't be able to fake smile during casual small talk that I'm not prepared for.

No, I don't think so anyway. It looks like I'm having some toilet issues if I try to fake it.

Yeah totally. But then, a slight grimace will do.

If I'm around a lot of people too long, I go into a kind of automatic fake grin in self defense. My cheekbones start hurting, and I don't think it looks very convincing either.