I have come to discover that something as little and cheap as a smile can brighten someone's day and can also create a ripple effect of positivity and possibilities. Imagine someone who has been put under pressure for the major part of the day, who is under intense responsibilities, who may be going through stress, a true smile from you can actually be a powerful tool to make them feel better. Just to let you know; it is true that smiling may not cost you anything, but the effect it may have on someone holds immeasurable value. The impact created by a smile is without question. This is why you should be generous with your smile - it can make someone feel better.
I have come to understand that smiling is not just about facial expression, it is a universal language that shows hope, interpersonal connection, and kindness. Someone who smiles often appears to be friendlier and more loveable than someone who does not. You may not come from the same place with someone, you may not even share a common background with them, you may not speak the same language with them, and may not belong to the same ethnicity or school of thought with them, but a genuine smile from you can brighten their day. A smile may be silent but it is a loud reminder that there is still goodness in the world to live for.
If someone that you do not know or have never met before suddenly turns to you and gives you a deep and sincere smile, you will more likely smile back to them. The smile you returned would have already brightened their day. You may not have everything in the world to give, but you have a genuine smile that you can give. A smile can pass a very strong message without even saying a word. It can actually say "you matter" or "I value you" without using words to express it. I remember some days ago, just when I was leaving the street, a lit kid came to me and gave me a smile. It felt so adorable, I smiled back. Throughout the day, I was remembering the smile and each time I did, I would smile. The smile from the kid made my day.
Smile has a way of making someone feel good. I have known this for a very long time, but just some months back, I discovered from a journal that it is actually backed by science. It has been scientifically proven that when you smile, it triggers certain hormones that will be released to make you feel good. These hormones are regarded as "mood-enhancing neurotransmitters." These can help to improve mood, reduce stress, regulate blood pressure, improve immunity, and even improve the general well-being of the individual. So as much as smiling has social benefits, it also has medical and health benefits.
Smile also makes you feel belonged and part of a system that values you. It also makes you feel the connection between people. A couple of days back, I read something online - it was about the incident that happened in the 1970s about someone who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. He left a suicide note before he did that. The note read "I will not do it if someone smiles to me on the way." This proves how a small kindness in form of a smile, even from a stranger, can change someone's mind. A lot of people are passing through what you may never know about, and all they want is to be cared for, to be acknowledged, and to feel belonged. Something as small as a smile could have saved that life. The strength of a smile cannot be underestimated.
In your everyday life, you will definitely have opportunity to smile - it can be at the waiter that serves you, the gateman that opens the gate for you, the cab man that picks you, the friend who greets you, a lot of opportunities abound. Each time you take advantage of any of these opportunities to smile, you plant a seed of hope in people with love and light. You do not have to know someone to smile at them. Always remember that smiling makes both the sender and the receiver to feel good.
Thanks for reading
