Put on a happy face!

I was taught to treat people the way I want to be treated.  I still believe this to be true.  If you were to pass me on the street, I would be one of those folks that would say hello to you with a big smile on my face.  I get a kick out of sending some happiness a stranger’s way.  Besides, smiling has its own useful rewards that I feel are worth mentioning.

"We have long been drawing attention to the fact that smiling increases happiness both in yourself and those around you…”  Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation states.  He goes on to say that a healthy smile can improve your confidence, help you make friends, and help you to succeed in your career. 

I agree that a smile can do all that.  When I think about the number of jobs that I have had, the only co-workers that I remember are that ones that were pleasant to be around.  I even remember their names.  If I can, I’m sure upper management can. 

With smiling comes laughter.  Elizabeth Scott from about.com says that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine and growth hormones.  She also states that laughter also increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. 

The most amazing fact about smiling is that it can help you to live longer. 

“…among the 65- to 85-year-old study participants, those who were most optimistic were 55 percent less likely to die from all causes than the most pessimistic people.”  The November 2004 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry stated this after conducing a study of elderly people in which some were optimistic and some pessimistic. The issue continued to say, “…after researchers adjusted the results for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity and other measures of health, the optimists were 71 percent less likely to die than the pessimists!”

There is more reason to worry now than decades ago.  It can be difficult not to look somber most of the time. But having a negative outlook majority of the time can negatively affect your health which will give you something else to worry about.  So why not be optimistic?  The only thing it will cost you is a bad attitude.

For more information visit these links:

  http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/04/12/smile_the_remarkable_personal_benefits_of_smiling.htm

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/laughter.htm