This Happens When You Smile

I wholeheartedly agree with the lyrics of Kirk Franklin’s gospel song. “You look so much better when you smile.” You do look so much better when you smile. At least that’s what scientific studies have proven. That when you smile you look more attractive, friendlier, competent, and even younger.

My son and I were walking into one of the big stores on a bright Saturday morning and passed a gentleman coming our way. He and I nodded in passing.

My son, a man in his own right, looked at me and asked, “why do people always speak to you?” I ran the question quickly through my mind. The answer was obvious. I tend to believe most people could see it, and some might possibly feel it. I carry a smile. You can see it in my eyes, the expressions on my face, my posture, the way I carry myself.

Not a bare your teeth type of smile. It’s an aura that permeates my whole being. Life is hard and often very challenging. It takes a lot to smile when smiling is the last thing you want to do. But, life is also short. Very short. Like this sentence.

One line of lyrics in that gospel tune, written by a collaboration of writers reads, “It’s so hard to look up when you been down.” Given the hills we sometimes have to climb to get through a day, the amalgam of situations that confront us just in our daily living, smiling is often at the bottom of the list of emotions we desire to express. But, a simple smile can be a mood changer, maybe a life changer. Smiling is contagious. In his eBook, Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act, author Ron Gutman says, “smiling induces more pleasure in the brain than chocolate.” I’m a chocolate lover so that might be debatable.

I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. Goldie Hawn

Countless studies have been done about the scientific positive benefits of those who smile versus the negative results of non-smilers. Smiling is a form of communication. Specific areas of the brain have been proven to be affected by smiling. The chemicals released during a smile, dopamine and seratonin are just two that help activate the brain’s happiness wiring.

I’ve conducted my own smiling experiments and attempted to help others by using a very simple test, non-scientific of course, when feeling down or depressed. I’ve intentionally put on a smile when out in public to see what kind of reaction I would get. More often than not people perceived me to be friendly and safe enough to smile back at or speak to, whether man or woman, outside or inside. Proving that fake smiles can also make a difference. The biggest benefit of all was that smiling also positively affected my inner being, quickly raising my happiness quotient.

The body’s natural mood enhancers, endorphins, are released when you smile, helping to boost confidence and lower stress levels. Smiling is a universal expression that’s now considered a neuroscience. Travel anywhere in the world and a smile is wordlessly understood.

Looking for a happiness drug? Smile. World Smile Day is the first Friday in October.