The One Reason You Need To Smile More
We had our daily video sales meeting, and when I entered the room, it brightened my day.
I saw the team with big beautiful smiles. For a reason I can't remember, I was edgy. Once I saw there faces, it changed the course of my day.
Take a moment to recall the past few weeks. What were some of your best moments?
In those moments, you likely had a smile on your face.
If you can't recall these special moments, likely, you weren't intentional enough to be happy.
You need to smile more because it changes the course of your day.
Happiness is what makes us smile. It's unlikely you'll see Debby Downer with a sweet, bright smile.
She's more likely to sport a frown.
According to Dr. Isha Gupta, a neurologist from IGEA Brain and Spine says, a smile causes a chemical reaction in the brain.
This reaction leads to the release of various hormones, including dopamine and serotonin.
Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness, while what serotonin releases are associated with reduced stress.
What's neat is you can fake it until you make it.
Dr. Sivan Finkel, a cosmetic dentist, claims even a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate.
To add to this, "a study performed by a group at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that people who could not frown due to botox injections were happier on average than those who could frown."
These may be poorly conducted studies, but I can attest to it. I force myself to smile before I go to bed, and as soon as I wake up.
I'll also take a few deep breaths to release tension. Once I'm done, I'll crack my smile.
I always feel better after, even if it's a minute change.
It's a simple hack to feel great.
Don’t forget to surround yourself with people who have a positive outlook on life.
The last thing you want is to be depressed because everyone around you is depressed.
A smile is intoxicating, so put on a genuine smile for others and call it your civic duty.
A Swedish studysuggests that we react with a smile when we see someone else smile.
If we don't reciprocate a smile, it's a cognitive effort to withhold the smile.
Verywell Mindadd to this,
The part of your brain that is responsible for your controlling the facial expression of smiling is an unconscious automatic response area. Meaning that smiling can be completely unconscious, particularly when it comes to our habit of mimicking another person's smile. Yes, it is scientifically proven that smiles are "contagious!"
A daily exercise to smile more and change people's lives.
It's crazy to think you can change your life with a smile.
If you add up all the days in which you smiled in a year and the intoxicating impact of your smile, you potentially changed the course of thousands of people's day.
With a simple smile.
And that doesn't include how your life changed by smiling more, for 365 days.
Try this, and smile more every day:
Wake up with a smile. Add a reminder to your phone if you need to.
When your spouse and children wake up, welcome them with a BIG smile and a few hugs and kisses.
As you enter a work meeting, smile at each attendee.
When you're in a public place, smile at each person you make eye contact with.
Video call a family member or friend and greet them with a smile.
Before you go to sleep, take three deep breaths and smile at the end.
When you smile, you change the course of your day. You also positively impact people who come in contact with you.
Do our world a favor. Smile more.