“A warm smile is the universal language for kindness.” – William Arthur Ward
Your smile is one of the simplest, yet most beneficial gifts you can give to your friends, family and even yourself. Smiling has benefits that go beyond the simple act of adding brightness to your face. There are real health benefits that have been associated with producing a smile even when you don’t feel very happy. People who smile a lot are quite often people who are happier and better adjusted to life’s challenges. Plus, smiling is something that anyone can do and benefit from on a daily basis.
So, here are ten reasons why you should smile as a gift to you and your friends and family. It is the type of gift that you can give at any time and will benefit you as well.
Smiling Does Not Cost Anything
A smile is a free gift that you give to the world and yourself in the process. This means that without having to spend any money, you can give your smile to others who will see and appreciate your good mood. For many, the happy memories of our childhood come from the times when everyone was smiling. These memories help bolster our moods when we smile and vice versa as smiling brings back the happy feelings that we once experienced. So, whenever you want to give a gift that works for everyone, smile.
Retrains the Brain
Most people tend to focus on negative impulses as part of their overall defense mechanism. However, those who smile regularly have a more positive mindset which actually influences their thinking. By making smiling a part of your everyday routine, you can actually retrain your brain to think in a more positive manner. People who have a positive outlook are not only happier, but more confident
Stress Reliever
The act of smiling has been shown to relieve the effects of stress even when the person is not smiling voluntarily. A 2012 study at the University of Kansas demonstrated that people with chopsticks in their mouths that created an artificial smile without them realizing what happened actually showed a reduction in the heart rate and faster recovery from stressful situations. This means that the physical act of smiling actually brings great benefits in terms of reducing the amount of stress that your body feels.
A Smile Brings Happiness
Interestingly enough, a fake smile can actually bring a little happiness into your life and boost your mood even if you don’t feel like smiling. While the reasons are not yet fully understood, forcing a smile when you are feeling down can actually bring about a brighter mood and a better feeling about your surroundings even if the smile feels contrived and not earnest. So, when you are feeling down trying smiling for a while to get a little boost.
“A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.” – Denis Waitley
Approachability
There is something warm and accepting about a smile that makes you more approachable. When it comes to the service industry, smiling is recommended as customers will be influenced in a positive way. You will come across as more likable and friendly which in turn creates better interaction with customers and fellow employees. Researchers have discovered that smiling while on the job not only improved the overall mood, but it also made the employees appear more competent in their profession. Basically, smiling relays confidence in that you know what you are doing and customers pick up on that.
Enhance Your Mood
While the emotions are centered in your brain, the physical act of the muscles helps enhance or reinforce your feelings. So, if you happy, then smiling will only increase what you are feeling as it is part of the physical manifestation of your moods. There have been studies showing that smiling may enhance the happy mood you are feeling and help suppress negative emotions in the process. Basically, when your smile tells the world that you are happy, you actually reap the benefits even more than if you kept that expression under wraps.
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Productivity
Studies have shown that people who smile throughout the day are more productive. A little happiness can indeed go a long way when it comes to smiling during your working day. The positive emotions that smiling brings combined with the upbeat outlook helps people become more productive in their tasks. Plus, it helps people from becoming too drained by the activities of the day as well.
Smiling is Contagious
Just like yawning, smiling seems to be quite contagious. First someone smiles, then you smile and pretty soon everyone is smiling. This is because inside everyone is mirror neutrons that help cause us to smile when we see others doing the same. Since the act of smiling is so easy to mimic, it is one act that is often repeated by others when someone smiles. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the mirror neutrons help people mimic other people’s actions with the best of intentions.
Creativity
In addition to boosting your mood, smiling can help you become more creative in your endeavors. A 2013 study demonstrated that men who smiled during the day experienced more creative thoughts in terms of tackling the issues of their work. They were able to think of better, more creative solutions than those who did not smile. Basically, the creative process is enhanced with positive attitudes more than negative ones and smiling will help you feel better and become more creative when it comes to learning new tasks, processing information and coming up with decisions that actually solve problems.
Give a Gift
One way to give a smile to someone else is by giving a small gift. There is nothing like a gift that brings a smile to someone’s face and your own. Giving is part of the human experience and gifts such as gift baskets, silk flowers, aromatherapy, bath & body and the like provides a little happiness that will spread quickly thanks to all the smiles that follow.
Your smile is a gift to others as well as yourself, so be generous and smile often to boost your spirits and brighten your day.
“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” – Phyllis Diller
