PSA: Stop telling people who fake being happy that they should just 'talk to someone'

Grant Perry · 2026-09-10T02:12:43.382424+00:00

I have watched this happen to three different friends in the last year and every single time it plays out the same way. Someone finally admits they have been acting fine for months, and the first thing they hear is a version of "you just need to open up more." My buddy Dave (who has been putting on the happy face at his family dinners since his divorce two years ago) told his sister this past Thanksgiving and she said it in the first five minutes. What people miss is that the smiling is not the problem, it is the protection, and telling someone to drop it without giving them a safe landing spot just makes them smile harder. Has anyone else noticed that the advice people give is often the exact thing that keeps the mask on?

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PSA: Stop telling people who fake being happy that they should just 'talk to someone' | Behind the Smile - Thought Shares