Smile Power

Neuroscientists studies show that your smile benefits you in multiple ways. Smiling releases chemicals into your system that lessen stress, lessen pain and serve as an antidepressant. All of that in addition to helping you feel happy.

Your smile has the added benefit of making others’ smile, giving them an opportunity to feel happy. Even on the most challenging days, our smiles help us, and others, find a way to deal effectively with what we’re facing.

Artists have long touted the power of smile in their songs. Through their lyrics, we experience the joy a smile affords. When we feel down, listening to a song about smiling elevates our spirit and nourishes our soul.

We trust those whose smile indicates love, genuine concern for our welfare and a desire to help us feel good. This trust occurs so naturally that we don’t even realize that we’re trusting, yet subconsciously, trust is given.

Social psychologists studies show that people who are social, who enjoy other people and socialize regularly, tend to live longer, happier lives than those who are less social. Their studies show that’s true regardless of how frequently the person exercises (if they exercise at all) or the quality of their diet. Note: I’m not suggesting that you replace good diet and regular exercise with a daily smiling routine. Combining all three gives you the best of all worlds.

So what is my purpose in sharing all of this with you? Especially since it’s highly likely that you already know this, have already experienced it yourselves. My goal is to get you in the habit of smiling each and everyday of your life so that you can enjoy life to its fullest.

For you

Begin each day reflecting on all of the good fortune you’ve had in your life. As you experience the peace, joy and satisfaction of these reflections, you will smile. As you smile, remind yourself that you’re going to smile throughout the day. 

Commit to smiling even when you feel stressed, angry, exhausted or in any way depleted. Vow to quickly set these feelings aside with your secret weapon…your smile.

The more frequently you smile, the more you realize that your smile is contagious. People you encounter during the day smile more. You can feel the change in their energy as your smile make it easier for them to deal with the challenges they face. In other words, the world in which you live becomes a happier place because you’re making it so. 

Eventually you won’t have to think about smiling, the psychic rewards you experience naturally put you in a good mood and you find yourself smiling all the time. I’ve had the good fortune to live this way for more than 30 years. Recently I commented to my wife that it was going to be a good day.  She responded “When don’t you have a good day?” 

I laughed. She’s right. I don’t have bad days. Like you, experiences challenges almost daily. Yet I’m able to quickly and confidently face my challenges because consistent smiling makes them manageable. I want you to live a life where every day is a good day, where abundant smiles and joy are your constant companions.

For our kids

Make it a routine in your house that you and your kids take a few seconds together, at the start of the day, to recall the good in your lives, to remind yourselves that you’re going to smile throughout the day, that when any of you feel stress, anger or exhaustion, you’re going replace these feelings with your smile…a smile born of reflecting on the good in your life. 

You’ll never experience a greater reward than seeing the kids in your life experience happiness day in and day out throughout their lives.

Feel free to share this blog with those whom you feel would benefit from this message. It’s an easy way to say “I love you. I’m thinking of you.”

I love hearing your thoughts and experiences, please share your thoughts in a comment.

If you’d like to enjoy great confidence, check out our Confidence Self-Study programs (opens in a new link) (opens in a new link). 

If you’d like to enrich the lives of others by teaching them to be more confident, check out our Teaching Confidence Instructor Certification program (opens in a new link).