Wearing masks has left some in Japan seeking professional help to relearn how to smileJapanese people are taking lessons in smiling after losing the knack during the three-year pandemic in which most hid their faces behind surgical masks. It is only this week that Japan declared a final end to coronavirus restrictions — but most people are still covering their faces in public, even when outside. Having concealed their mouths for so long, some people believe they have lost the ability to smile convincingly and are turning to professionals for help. Sponsored“I’ve heard from people who say that even if they’re able to remove their masks, they don’t want to show the bottom half of their faces, or that they don’t know how to smile any more,” said Miho Kitano, a “smile trainer” whose company, the Smile Facial Muscle

Source: The Times May 10, 2023 02:57 UTC