乳児について最も当惑させられる点の一つは、乳児がうれしい時だけしか笑わないということである。乳児は、訪問客をまん丸で真剣なまなざしでじっと見つめ、相手が自分をあやそうとすると、大人の愚かで滑稽な振る舞いに驚きの表情を示す。しかし、乳児の両親はすぐに、まったく無関心の人達と一緒にいることを喜んでいるように見せることを乳児に教える。
One of the most disconcerting things about infants is that they only smile when they are pleased. They stare at visitors with round grave eyes, and when the visitors try to amuse them, they display astonishment at the foolish antics of adults. But as soon as possible, their parents teach them to seem pleased by the company of people to whom they are utterly indifferent.
Source: Bertrand Russell: On smiling (written in Aug. 17, 1932 and pub. in Mortals and Others, v.1, 1975.
More info.： https://russell-j.com/SMILING.HTM
＜寸言＞
キャンディーズ（Candies）のヒットソングのなかに「微笑み返し (Hohoemi-gaeshi)」という歌があります。この歌詞のなかにでてくる「微笑み返し」は、もちろん、乳児の「微笑み返し」とはニュアンスが異なっています。同棲していた男性と別れる時に、元恋人の女性が、引っ越ししていく男性に「独立（独り立ち）」へのお祝いの気持ちを込めて「微笑み返し」するものです。悲しい気持ちが含まれていますが、このような反応（態度）は、我々が乳児の時に育まれたものではないか、というラッセルの指摘です。
The Japanese idol group Candies has a hit song titled Hohoemi-gaeshi (Smiling Back). In the lyrics of this song, the concept of "smiling back" is, of course, different in nuance from the "smiling back" associated with infants. The song describes a former girlfriend smiling back at her ex-boyfriend as he moves out, marking the end of their cohabitation. Her smile, filled with bittersweet emotions, conveys her well-wishes for his "independence." Bertrand Russell suggests that such responses or attitudes may have been nurtured during our infancy.
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