The book studies the science of human emotion: the logic of feeling. The author says we are "hardwired for good," that compassion and empathy are natural instincts that ensure our survival. It also repeats the theory that altruistic acts are borne out of selfishness: people do good because it makes them feel good. Which still seems like something of a win-win, as far as society is concerned.
There's a pretty fascinating study of facial expressions -- what they convey and how others read them. Everyone knows that smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes, the one that seems a little bit fake, that makes you suspect what's being held back. And the smile that seems so genuine that you feel comfortable at once with a person. Turns out those smiles have a name: Duchenne for the more open, eye-reaching smile, and non-Duchenne for the other, which takes less muscle work and also provides a completely different emotional experience for the smiler.
All this appeals to my inner anthropologist, especially when I'm writing fiction. I'm pretty sure all writers have some sort of inner anthropologist they draw upon to consider what makes people/characters tick. I do believe that humans are, generally, more inherently good than they are evil. But goodness is rarely the most interesting plot point. Stories need conflict, and humans crave conflict in stories. We need to be reassured that Things Work Out. But first, stories need a big fat sloppy mess of problems before any sense of goodness arrives.
Consider the soap opera "Days of Our Lives." I watched it one summer when I was in junior high school, in between babysitting jobs. I vaguely remember the characters Bo and Hope, who had big '80s hair and were in lurrrve. Passionate soap opera love. Change-the-channel-when-your-mom-walks-into-the-room love. I haven't seen the show since then. But this week in Toby Goldstein's syndicated "Soaps" column, which I read and cut out in the name of a super-secret writing project, there's this summary: "After drugging Bo's coffee, which caused him to pass out, Hope doused him with gasoline and lit a match."
Now that is some smolderin' love.
Would we be surprised if, in another 20 years, they're in love again, sneaking into the nursing home broom closet for a clandestine rendezvous? We would not.
It's all cyclical. So let us cycle back to more sources of goodness. You could get lost for a good long while in these sites:
Learning to Love You More
The Beckoning of Lovely
Be good.
Click "add to favorites"! I didn't know that my favorite pumpkin eater was posting here. ;) Sounds like an interesting book- I'll have to check-it-out(loving the library in the summertime). I also love the good in people; like when someone picks up the apples I send rolling off the stand in the grocery store. I believe people want to feel good and help others.
ReplyDeleteWatching people's facial expressions is about the closest most of us get to "reading minds," don't you think? So much of it is involuntary and a direct conduit to the thought behind it.
ReplyDeleteThe other person isn't taking kindly to the point you're making? Watch for twitch around the corners of their mouth, a vestigial snarl.
They're not quite believing they can trust you? The eyes narrow ever so slightly.
I like the phrase "...in lurrrve."
Nice piece.