Where would we be in this world without smiles? Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.” The poem also addressed those times when your biggest, brightest smile can’t bring someone out of their funk. The poem said, “Some people are too tired to give you a smile. I ran across a poem entitled “An Inspirational Thought: The Value of a Smile,” by an unknown author and it said that a smile can’t be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. There is a whole field of science and you can get a Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology! How cool is that?!īut really, you don’t have to go through years of school and get a PhD to know that smiling feels good (try it!) and most of the time makes others feel good and react positively to you. It is authored by alumni or students at the Master of Applied Positive Psychology programs and by invited guest authors. They even offer happiness coaches … really! The online website “Positive Psychology News Daily” focuses on the science of happiness. So when you smile, others seeing you will mimic your expression and are drawn to you because they want to know what’s so good to make you smile. A smiling person has the same effect on you, whether you realize it or not. Nobody else does it like you.ĭon’t believe me? Try it. Say something with your mouth in a low-down frown, or in a straight-line, teeth-grinding grimace. Then say the same thing with a big, ridiculous toothy smile on your face. It will sound completely different. What’s more, when you smile, you instantly adopt a different frame of mind. It’s hard to be glum when you’re smiling.Ī 2001 research project reported in the International Journal of Psychophysiology showed that if you mimic a smile by lifting the ends of your lips and squinting your eyes, your body will release serotonin, dopamine and other “feel-good” chemicals. That’s right, a natural high and it’s perfectly legal and good for you!Īnd the impact on other people is equally amazing. In fact, there is a physiological reaction that occurs when you see someone else smile. The simple term for this is “mimicry.” Research has shown that we tend to unconsciously move certain muscles in our face when we see someone laugh, frown, smile, grimace or any of the other expressions we’re capable of. Voice actors also read books on tape, narrate company promotional videos, play the characters in cartoons and video games and lots more.Īnyway, in the course of the training the coach kept making a point to smile when we want to convey a friendly attitude because, “People can hear if you’re smiling.”Ĭrazy as it sounds, it’s true, you can hear a smile. The shape of your mouth, cheeks, tongue and all the other human vocal mechanisms are literally in different positions when you smile. The ensuing sound is unique to a smile, and your smile “sound” is unique to you. When you watch a TV ad where someone is talking over (thus “voice over”) the graphics and video, that’s a voice actor. Nearly every time you listen to an advertisement on the radio, it’s a voice actor narrating. This realization came to me as I was doing some job re-training about three years ago, learning the fine art of voice acting, also known as voice over. I know this sounds like a simplistic approach to life, but I have to agree. I think in our stress-inducing, pressure-cooking, “hurry up” society, too many of us have lost touch with the power and actual therapeutic value of a simple smile. I’ve talked about this in past Week-Enders, but I thought it was worth remarking on it again. Those words are the first verse of a song sung in 1954 by Nat King Cole. In the lyrics, the singer is telling the listener to cheer up and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just as long as they smile. You'll see the sun come shining through for you If you smile through your fear and sorrow Have you downloaded my free eBook yet? Learn how to recognize and eliminate your joy blockers with 8 Barriers to Joy & Abundance.When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by You’ll find that life is still worthwhileĪnd in my opinion, Nat King Cole’s rendition of the song “Smile”, written by Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons, is the quintessential remedy if you’re feeling blue. You’ll see the sun come shining through for you When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by Sing it if you know it! (or perform a duet with Nat King Cole here: ) I couldn’t think of a better way to finish off this month’s theme of smiling than with a song.
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