There are times when we come across people with the brightest smiles who mask their unhappiness. You might feel puzzled, thinking that if they are unhappy, then why do they try to hide it behind their smiles?
Sadness and happiness are closely related to one another, and sometimes people hide their sadness behind happiness.
Smiling can actually be the complete opposite of how a person is feeling on the inside.
We often forget that sometimes people are just good at faking their emotions. By knowing the various signs, you will realize that someone smiling the brightest can sometimes be the saddest person.
People Fake Happiness
People tend to fake their happiness when they are going through a rough patch in their life. Letting people know that everything is not alright with you can be quite difficult. You might not want to worry others or show them your weak side.
I feel you, but at times masking your unhappiness can lead to further emotional issues. You might stop wanting to talk to people and push everyone away.
I know many of us don’t realize a person masking their unhappiness, but by reading this, you won’t. Let’s look into the 10 signs, which will help you realize when a person is unhappy.
Related: 20+ Signs Someone Is Talking Down To You (& How To Respond)
10 Signs Of An Unhappy Person Behind The Brightest Smile
1. They Are Not Engaged In Conversation
Sad people tend to not engage in conversations much. You’ll notice that they have a happy-go-lucky personality, but when you try to talk to them, they seem uninterested.
The first sign is their body language. Happy people have an open body language where they lean towards the person they are talking to.
However, unhappy people will avoid that even if they are putting up a happy front. They will look like they are not engaging in conversation, and you’ll notice their lack of facial expressions when you talk about certain topics.
Even if they have a smile on their face, they are not interested in what you have to say.
Related: How To Smile With Confidence (+Why It’s Important)
They will give you short replies when you talk to them. If you ask them how was their day, they will say, “It was fine,” and not go into detail about their day.
Read also: 9 Tips on How to Be Happy
2. They Make Fun Of Themselves A Lot
Everyone loves a good joke here and there. Laughing is something that helps everyone release any stress or tension they are experiencing.
However, some people use humor as a way to overcompensate. If you notice that a happy person is constantly making jokes, then there might be a chance they are sad.
A clear sign would be if they make fun of themselves. Yes, it can be endearing at times when people make jokes about themselves, but if they do it way too often, then that is a red flag.
They don’t have a good sense of self-esteem if they are always making fun of themselves. Instead of talking about how they feel, they make jokes about themselves to change the subject.
Not only that, but they will try to joke around 24/7. If there is a serious situation going on, they will not stop telling jokes.
Friends and family will stop asking them how they feel because they always seem happy, laughing about something.
Related: 10 Bullet Journal Ideas for Practicing Gratitude
3. They Have Recent Behavior Changes
You see someone with a bright smile and think they seem so happy. But sometimes people who are unhappy tend to have sudden changes in behavior.
Whether it is being more irritable, avoiding people, or not being themselves anymore. Please know that their sadness did not happen overnight, which is why they are acting this way.
If they are normally outgoing and don’t talk to people much, you may perceive them as snobby or rude, but in reality, they are just going through a lot.
I know a lot of people get irritated when others don’t go about their day. But what you fail to realize is that they could be experiencing anxiety from work or their love life.
Related: 7 Ignored Reasons Why You Keep Failing in Life
4. They Don’t Care About Their Appearance
Happy people take pride in their hygiene and how they look. However, if someone is masking their sadness, you will notice that they don’t care about their appearance.
Sure, people don’t always have time to look nice and put together, but if they begin to neglect the way they look,
They could be saying things like, “I don’t feel like washing my hair today,” or not trimming their nails. When someone is unhappy, they begin to lose interest in the things they used to enjoy.
You will also notice that they don’t shower as often or brush their teeth. Just because they look like they have a smile, don’t judge them because they could be fighting with their mental health.
5. They Don’t Like Being Physically Close To Someone
Happy people love the feeling of intimacy or being close to someone, whether that be emotional or physical intimacy.
Unhappy people tend to avoid any type of intimacy because they are afraid of getting hurt. If someone has a great smile but avoids any type of physical contact, that is your clue.
They are scared to open up to you because they fear you’ll leave them once you know the real them. They push everyone away because they don’t want to feel the feeling of attachment.
People who don’t like being close to someone avoid talking about their feelings. If you ask them how they are doing, they will instantly change the subject to you.
Another sign would be that they don’t like to talk about themselves. Instead of focusing on them, they only focus on you and the things you like.
6. They Are Perfectionists and Insecure
If you meet someone who smiles the brightest but they are very insecure about everything, chances are that person is very unhappy about the way they live their life.
Perfectionism is when you strive to be perfect and have no mistakes. Insecure people always fear failure, which leads to them being perfectionists.
What you don’t know about them is that they constantly put way too much pressure on themselves. They might seem like they have their life together, but behind that smile is a person crying.
Perfectionist people are never happy with the way things are. As soon as they accomplish something, they automatically think of ways they could have done it better.
Even though they put on a smile, they feel worthless inside. All that hard work they put into something in the end does not feel rewarding because they fail to enjoy the moment.
Not only that, but they always need validation from others, whether it be friends, co-workers, or even their loved ones. They will do anything to make others think that they are successful.
Hence why you’ll notice that they always love micro-managing others when it comes to group projects. Or they will rehearse what they are going to say a day before talking to you.
Once you call them out for something they feel insecure about, they will instantly lash out at you but still try to cover it up with a smile.
This type of behavior will eventually make them hate themselves, which leads to them being unhappy. If you know someone who possesses these signs, talk to them about how perfectionism and insecurity lead to happiness.
7. They Use Alcohol Or Drugs To Cover Up How They Feel
When someone is constantly smiling but deep down they are drinking alcohol or using drugs to feel better, masking your sadness by drinking or doing drugs will only cover how you feel temporarily.
You may think everyone is fine because they go out and party every single day and socialize. However, when they’re alone, that’s when you’ll see them sad because nobody truly knows how they feel.
Many people like to use drugs or alcohol to cover up their problems. They don’t want to face the sadness that they’re going through, so they choose the easy way out.
Once they start drinking or doing drugs, they begin to feel happy for that moment, but once they sober up, they feel horrible about themselves.
If they don’t drink or use, they feel anxious or sad about their life. That’s why people who use drugs or alcohol should always seek help if they want to be happy.
8. Sleeping And Eating Habits Have Changed
If someone who used to sleep 8 hours a day suddenly starts insomnia or sleeps way too much, once again that means that they could be experiencing anxiety from something.
Yes, people who are smiling the brightest could be sad when they don’t get much sleep at night. Not only will you see a change in their sleeping habits but also their eating habits.
If they go from eating too much when they’re emotional to not eating at all when they’re anxious. Once you see someone go from eating healthy to eating junk food all day,
You’ll know that something is blocking them from enjoying life. When you’re mentally and/or physically not at your best, you tend to not care about your health.
Not only do your sleeping patterns affect you, but it also drains you from wanting to do other things in life. Make sure if you know someone with a bright smile who has changed their sleeping or eating patterns, talk to them.
9. They Avoid Talking About Themselves
If someone avoids talking about themselves, that means that they don’t want you to know how they feel. They would rather ask you about your day than tell you about theirs.
Unhappy people fear getting close to others because they’re scared you’ll leave them once you know the real them. The best way to help them open up is by telling them that you’re here for them.
You never know; they might open up to you about how they feel. All you have to say is, “I would love to listen if you want to talk about anything.”
10. They Use Art or Music To Express Their Emotions
If someone hides their emotions behind a smile, you’ll notice they always have their heads buried into art or music.
When you decide to check out their phone, you’ll notice they always write down sad songs or write stories about sadness.
Once you see that they use art to get some of their emotions out, talk to them about their work. Tell them, “Your art really does help me feel better when I’m feeling sad.”
“I love listening to your music; it’s helped me through some of my toughest times.”
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog on the 10 signs that someone is unhappy behind the brightest smile. Remember it’s good to check up on your friends who you know have been going through a lot.
Creating a safe space for people to feel comfortable opening up about their emotions is always good. You never know asking that one person how they are feeling could change their life.
Make sure you guys click that follow button so you never miss a blog, and remember to always stay happy! 😊
Save the pin for later
