10 Reasons To Smile!

My brother Anton is an inspiration to me since he is the type of person who always has a smile on his face, no matter what he is going through. He has this positive energy about him that is infectious. He also has a way of making other people smile; he is very generous that way. When he sees that we are feeling down, he does his silly antics to cheer us up or he tells us amusing stories of his day. When we need him, he is always there.

Today my sister Gerry had a hard day. Even though my brother was very tired, he gave her a big big hug, with that infectious smile of his and with that warm embrace, my sister was feeling better in no time. Of course, what I did to cheer her up was to give her my iPhone and let her play a game of Angry Birds, which totally made her day. Kidding aside, that is one sure way to make me smile, seeing someone forget their worries for a while and feel better.

Here is one of my favorite quotations “Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. A smile is my favorite form of facial expression. A smile denotes many things including pleasure, happiness, contentment or just simply having the feeling that you are okay. There are days when it seems harder to smile than others, but did you know that smiling actually has benefits? As the saying goes, it really takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Here are 10 reasons why we should smile!

1. Smiling makes us more attractive – People who smile seem more attractive than those who don’t smile. I remember being told by my officemates that at first, they were afraid to come near me because the first time they met me, they thought I was aloof. They only warmed up to me when they saw me smiling at them when I greeted them the following day. A smile really helps bring others close to you.

2. Smiling exudes positivity – When we see someone unhappy and depressed, sometimes words are not enough to soothe them. A smile often helps a lot to improve their outlook and their feeling that things will get better.

3. Smiling is infectious – Try smiling at people, and you will see them smiling back at you. There is a certain magic that fills the air when someone smiles at you. It somehow changes the mood of others around us.

4. Smiling reduces stress – Our emotions usually show on our faces, and when we are stressed or worried we often frown. Smiling helps uplift our spirits and allows us to look at the world in a positive way.

5. A smile can brighten another person’s day – Just like in my story above, smiling will often help brighten another person’s day. Just like words are a verbal gesture, a smile is a silent gesture that shows another person that we care.

6. Smiling can lift up our faces and make us look younger – As I mentioned in number four above, stress often shows on our faces. When we frown, there is a high probability that we will develop wrinkles and small lines on our faces that make us look older.

7. Smiling is a natural drug – Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin in our bodies which are known to help us feel good naturally.

8.  Smiling denotes forgiveness and openness to forgive – When we have a spat with someone, or when we are not on good terms with someone, it is difficult to smile. A smile is gesture that signals to others that we are open to forgive and/or ask for forgiveness.

9.  Smiling allows us to appear self-confident – People who smile usually have good reasons for doing so. They are more approachable and easy to deal with. People are drawn to them naturally.

10. Smiling brings us closer to our friends and family – Who wants to be with people who are always unhappy? No one. It is okay to be unhappy sometimes since it is normal when we are in situations that we cannot help but be unhappy. However, people often are drawn to those who have a good outlook on life. They know that even if life is not perfect, smiling somehow sends the message that life is good!

Smiling is free. There are so many health benefits that we can derive from a simple smile! Maybe you have other reasons for smiling that you will share with us here. We would love to hear from you.

Image source: [marylooo / Shutterstock] [Sergej Khakimullin / Shutterstock] – As they appear