Smile.

Maybe you are heading to work with your head down, or you are mindlessly looking through the window on the bus. I suggest, you hold your head up and smile!

Everything starts with a first step. If you want to be in good shape, you need to take the first step and exercise. If you want to create a painting, you need to take the first step and get all your supplies. But what is the first step towards happiness? Smile 🙂

I believe that happiness is a choice. It takes lots of effort to put everything in a perspective and change a mindset. But it’s not impossible. I’ve noticed that if I smile for no reason, I instantly feel better! That’s why I did my research and found some surprising health benefits of smiling. Which I will share with you today!

We are born with the ability to smile, yet as we grow older, we smile less and less often. Smiling not only offers a mood boost but helps our bodies release endorphins, that provide many health benefits.

Smiling makes us more attractive.

It’s important to smile at strangers, especially while networking or mingling. Imagine a person sees you two or three times a year but you always smiled back at them. The smile will make you seem friendly, so if someone asks about you, the person will present you as such.

Smiling is contagious.

Also, you never know what a person is going through during the day. Your smile could brighten the stranger’s day. What’s even better it might create this magical smile chain reaction. Imagine how wonderful it would be to see everyone around you smile.

So make everyone around you smile.

Smiling Helps You Stay Positive

Try to think about something negative while smiling. Did you try? Good, now you know that it’s impossible. The smile sends a message to your brain and to your body.

Smiling won’t change your situation, but it can change your mindset which can help you find new solutions to your problems.

Not to forget the physical benefits.

Smiling can relieve pains. When we have a headache for example, we tend to get stuck in a bad mood. What if instead we try to smile?

Smiling can increase endurance. Imagine what would happen if during your last kilometers of a marathon you would start smiling? The positive boost it can have on you!

Smiling can also boost your immune system! Research shows that smiling and positive thinking helps to release molecules in your brain, that fights stress and illnesses.

So, maybe laughter really is the best medicine.

How to smile?

Do things that you love! Spend more time with people who make you smile, friends, family or your partner.

You can watch a comedy movie or look for funny videos on the internet.

Be creative, you could go sit on the bench, watch people and imagine funny scenarios happening around you.

Look in the mirror and try to test different smiles or challenge yourself to make someone smile during your day!

To finish off I would like to share with you the below lyrics:

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear maybe ever so near

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what’s the use of crying?

You’ll see that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile

So go ahead and smile as much as possible, share positivity around you! Just smile 🙂

Paul