You there, this is the smile police, be happy

[Salem]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/5757194/Workers-have-daily-smile-scans.html

" a bid to boost their customer services"
More like reduce them.
Anyone with a forced smile basically starts to look like a psycho - yeah, that'll bring the customers in.

Or a punter with some bad news story being met with the company-standard gormless grin as opposed to some genuine empathy will also feel like taking business elsewhere.

Or a customer with a complaint will get well and truly pissed off if the staff member keeps up the inane grin all through the proceedings.

[jephthah]

For those with a below-par grin ...smile-boosting messages will pop up on the computer screen [such as] "lift up your mouth corners",

umm... yeah.

You know what? Japan is kind of weird.

[Ancient Dragon]

There's a time to smile, and a time to frown. I try to smile all the time while at work as a WalMart cashier and often wear a happy-face sticker on each shirt lapel. I haven't been punched in the face yet for smiling :)

[Menster]

Smiling is over-rated. Especially if you are staring at a computer screen, what are you trying to do? Re-assure it? I got into programming so that I wouldn't have to deal with people and by extension of that be nice to them for no reason

[Ene Uran]

Let's see if the Omron Smile Scan system works on holders of State of California short term debts and bonds. California has started pay off with I.O.U.'s rather than actual money.

[MosaicFuneral]

What happens if you flip it the bird, do you get suspended?

I hate when people try to act happy. I get cautious and twitchy around them, and when I get cautious and twitchy: things can get very ugly.