It's one of those questions that comes up time and again: "If you had a super power..."
As a kid I was never entirely sure what my answer was, I think I was always worried about the consequences. I wouldn't want to be able to hear people's thoughts because I was afraid it would be constant and I wouldn't want to be overwhelmed by crowds and cities (the hum of which I, in my non-super state, find rather comforting) or hear something off-putting about someone I otherwise liked. Invisibility would be cool for a while, you could sneak into private events, see movies for free, but eventually I think I'd tire of not being able to share the experiences with other people... Flying would also have its perks, but it's not really for me. I'm kind of a spazz and would probably hit a building or get shot by a confused hunter or just take off in the presence of someone who didn't understand and then I'd get tried for being a witch or something equally scary and anachronistic. I don't think I ever had an answer without a list of questions about the degree of control I'd have over my power, who else would have powers, and what the potential safety concerns were... I was just that kind of kid. I never learned to cartwheel because I couldn't understand why I should want to dive head-first at the ground with only my arms to protect me. The degree of fun achieved didn't seem to balance out the potential risk involved...
But I digress.
I came across an experiment on BBC that sought to test whether a person can spot the difference between a fake smile and a real smile, apparently this is quite a difficult task as the fake smile has developed to look quite similar to a real smile on most people so they are better able to mask true emotions so as to more easily get along with others. As someone who has always prided herself on being a decent judge of people (my calculated risk-taking mentality never stopped me from talking to strangers, people are, after all, my species) the cited low scores freaked me out... But I figured I'd dive into it, no scientific method, just following instinct. 20 smiles later, I had achieved a perfect score...
Apparently I've had a super power all along.
Kate Polsky: People Whisperer!!
Whether you're a people whisperer or not, it's worth checking out the Smile Experiment
