The forgotten art of smiling
Posted on
There's something about a smile that can do things to a person. To be smiled at by the right person—or even by someone entirely random—can inspire a shift in mood that makes the rest of that day seem all the more bearable. It's said that the very act of smiling can even make you feel better. In various scientific studies, the effect of smiling has been shown to improve a positive emotional experience. It's probably something that should, therefore, be encouraged even more.
Possibly the best thing about smiles is their ability to be contagious. When one person smiles at another it's often difficult for the other person to resist smiling themselves. And in turn, it may prompt them to smile at someone else that they happen upon throughout the day, thus triggering similar reactions. It was recently suggested to me that a smile has the potential to travel around the world in just such a way. I find this to be such a wonderfully innocent analogy that I would love to believe it can (and does) come true. And in an age where international travel is so natural, I don't consider such an idea to be too farfetched.
The odd thing is that in modern day urban life, smiling seems to have fallen out of fashion. So often, I see people walking around with completely expressionless faces—perhaps even staring resolutely at the floor in front of them to avoid noticing those around them. Even eye contact tends to be accidental and fleeting. People just don't smile at each other anymore. It's as if we're afraid to interact with anyone outside of our immediate social groupings, and in many ways that's a shame as we're potentially missing out on forming new and exciting connections.
I suppose, in a sense, that's what makes smiles stand out so much these days. In recent months, I've regularly been smiled at by a couple of rather attractive girls that I've never met before but whom I pass on a fairly frequent basis on my journey home from work. While I'm sure they're entirely innocent gestures and have no meaning other than simple politeness, the uplifting effect they've had on me at the time has been quite remarkable.
A dear friend of mine—herself blessed with a particularly beautiful smile—recently reminded me of an unattributed quote on the matter that I am particularly fond of for its romantic connotations.
"Always remember to be happy because you never know who's falling in love with your smile."
I'd say that's pretty sound advice. And while I'm not pinning all my hopes on it, it has at least inspired me to give it a shot. If the very least that happens is that I end up feeling ever so slightly happier, it's achieved a quite acceptable end result. My friend and I have discussed the healing power of a smile a lot recently and from the evidence on offer from recent experience, I think she's onto something.