I get it. There’s possibly nothing more annoying than someone chirpily telling you to smile, when it’s the last thing you feel like doing.
And I’m not talking about the infuriating ‘Smile, love. It might never happen’ that women seem to attract just by going about their daily business.
But for the last few weeks I have been making a concerted effort to smile more. For myself, not for those around me. Although I have noticed that it does tend to rub off on others too. I happened across an article all about the statistics of smiling which really got me thinking, as well as this piece about how smiling, even when you don’t feel like it can actually trick your brain into feeling better.
Children smile over 400 times a day - most adults, only 10-20 times.
Smiling releases endorphins and other neurotransmitters. It can help to boost your mood and your immune system, among other benefits even when you don’t actually feel that much like smiling.
And not just that, it’s contagious too - in a good way.
Humans are social creatures and if you see someone smile at you, you are far more likely to smile back at them. Or to subconsciously smile at someone else. I tried this out in the supermarket the other day with an older gentleman walking towards me. He was carrying a basket and a frown, clearly pre-occupied and scanning the shelves. I had to step out of his way. He looked at me as I did so and I ventured a little smile (part apology, part ‘I’ll get out of your way’) and honestly his whole face lit up.
What I had taken for a frown was probably just concentration, looking for a particular item. He didn’t just smile, he nodded and then elaborately waved me through a gap in the aisle - I’m aware that to non-British readers this might sound a bit weird but here, a nod as well as a smile is pretty damn good.
Hopefully, he then went on his way more likely to smile at someone else. And even if he didn’t I think we both felt a little better, a little brighter after our encounter.
What do you think? Does advice like this leave you more irritated rather than inspired? Or do you find that the same thing happens to you when you try it?
Do let me know your smiling tips in the comments.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Everyday Knitter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.