A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.
– William Arthur Ward
In Spanish smile is ‘sunrise’. A smile just like a sunrise brings light, warmth and is beautiful to view and share with other people. Since we were born, we have had the ability to smile. You can see a lot of babies and children smiling and laughing all the time, it is known to be one of the first facial expressions and is understood universally. In fact we are actually born smiling and research shows babies seen doing it while they’re still in the womb.
It’s never too late to start again. Never.
We may often forget to smile and to remember how lovely this universal body language feels, along with the difference it can make in your life as well as others around you. How good does it feel when you’re walking down the street and the first thing a person decides to do is smile at you.. unless you really don’t like people which in that case – you should smile more.
Smiling daily has been scientifically known to decrease stress and improve your life overall including the health of your mind by increasing feel good chemicals such as dopamine in your brain, increasing health benefits in your body and socially. It increases your chances of having a longer life, giving and receiving kindness and gratitude, feeling joy, stimulates laughter and connects you with people around you.
So next time you’re out, try giving a stranger a warm smile and see how it impacts your day. It will not only encourage you to feel better but the reciever will feel better too. You will both feel more uplifted and more motivated to connect with those around you. If they don’t give you one back don’t take it personally and don’t let that demotivate you because maybe they are going through something difficult in that moment or maybe they just weren’t paying enough attention to their surroundings. It may feel strange or forced when you’re more consciously aware of doing it but once you get the hang of it your smile becomes increasingly genuine. You will feel it coming from your heart and you will want to see everyone doing it.