_High spirits, cheerfulness_.--A man in high spirits,
though he may not actually smile, commonly exhibits some
tendency to the retraction of the corners of his mouth.
From the excitement of pleasure, the circulation becomes more rapid;
the eyes are bright, and the colour of the face rises.
The brain, being stimulated by the increased flow of blood,
reacts on the mental powers; lively ideas pass still more rapidly
through the mind, and the affections are warmed. I heard a child,
a little under four years old, when asked what was meant by being
in good spirits, answer, "It is laughing, talking, and kissing."
It would be difficult to give a truer and more practical definition.
A man in this state holds his body erect, his head upright,
and his eyes open. There is no drooping of the features,
and no contraction of the eyebrows. On the contrary, the frontal
muscle, as Moreau observes,[17] tends to contract slightly;
and this smooths the brow, removes every trace of a frown,
arches the eyebrows a little, and raises the eyelids.
Hence the Latin phrase, _exporrigere frontem_--
to unwrinkle the brow--means, to be cheerful or merry.
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