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Smile

21:06 / 19.02.03

Article in the Guardian today about some research done, for Comic Relief, where psychology students from across the country spent an hour smiling at 100 strangers in 14 British cities and counting how many sniny, happy people smiled back.

From the results, they drew up a league table. Bristol is full of smiley people (70 per cent of Bristolians smiled back) and Glasgow too, it came second (68 per cent cheery).

For me, in London, the bad news was only 18 per cent could raise a reciprocal smile for a stranger.

The good news is that I've shaken the dust of grumpy Edinburgh off my shoes. They were far and away the worst. Only 4 per cent of people could be arsed to smile back at the students. What a warm, friendly place it is!

Article's here, including the "Grin league".

1. Bristol 70 per cent
2. Glasgow 68 per cent
3. Exeter 54 per cent
4. Manchester 54 per cent
5. Wrexham 42 per cent
6. Cardiff 41 per cent
7. Liverpool 41 per cent
8. Norwich 35 per cent
9. Newcastle 32 per cent
10. Birmingham 31 per cent
11. Southampton 24 per cent
12. London 18 per cent
13. Nottingham 12 per cent
14. Edinburgh 4 per cent

21:18 / 19.02.03

I really dislike Edinburgh.

I lived there for the first two years of my degree, and then moved to the superficially much less attractive Dundee, and had a great time.

It's good that science is on my side.

21:58 / 19.02.03

I want to see the figures showing how many of those happy, happy people actually smile during Comic Relief.

23:43 / 19.02.03

The only people who smile at students in Edinburgh are people trying to rip them off for "drugs".

Graeme McMillan

14:19 / 20.02.03

I got all excited when I saw the name of this thread.

*sigh*

Good to see Glasgae toon up there, though.

14:25 / 20.02.03

I loved living in Edinburgh and now love London, possible for exactly this reason.

Ignore everyone, that's my motto.

16:15 / 20.02.03

I appear to have invented the adjective "sniny" in my post just for you then, Ariadne, you little ray of sunshine. Must say you have an infectious chuckle and commendable social skills for one so misanthropic! I can see now why bleak, treeless islands sound like the ideal holiday destination to you though.

Have to say I did quite like the feeling that the frosty Edinburghers could be relied upon to leave you in peace. London isn't quite Pleasantville by comparison but it does appear to be a little friendlier in some ways, so maybe the Mickey Mouse piece of research is valid enough. I have spoken to every one of my stair neighbours here and it's only been just over four months. On one stair in Edinburgh, the old woman I'd lived next door to for twelve years had been dead for six months before I noticed.

I did think of you, Smile, when I titled the thread but all I know about you is that Mark Millar declared you anathema and that's been well eloquently discussed earlier. Feel free to turn it into a tribute thread. Are you indeed the relentlessly positive, cheery person your nickname might suggest? Or have you just taken too many drugs for too long? I could use some, if you have an excess...