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In elementary school, a teacher advised us to “Face the world with a smile.” I discovered that might not be the best plan.

For instance, if I saw another kid get in trouble for talking, I loved it. I would laugh, the teacher would notice, and suddenly I was the culprit.

Maybe I always looked like I was about to grin…I don’t remember. But I do recall several instructors looking at me and saying, “Wipe that smile off your face this instant, young man.”

I was able to do that, of course, because (1) excessive levity might lead to a bad outcome, and (2) if anybody suspected I was be...