The Kindness Diaries star, Leon Logothetis, turned this practice into an exercise. Most are too shy or preoccupied with their phones or the sound streaming on their earbuds. IAG published a study in 2022 showing that 95% of Australians would like to smile at and greet strangers. It's good practice to keep smiling and share a friendly greeting. Some will be on screen or focused ahead of themselves or ignoring people. Smile and greet strangers on the street, in elevators and walking down corridors. Smile at people you vaguely know and greet them. Most people light up and return the greeting. Notice any impact on your thoughts, mood, and level of optimism."
#SMILE AND OPTIMISM GONE FULL#
If a full smile is not possible, a half-smile works as well.
In short: when our brain feels good and tells us to smile: we then smile: this tells our brain it feels good, and the cycle goes on!Īre you smiling now? Have you smiled at anyone today?įrank Sinatra sang, "When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you."ĭr David Topor wrote, "A psychotherapy technique to cope with sad feelings is to practice smiling for a few minutes each day. Moreover, smiling does so in a way that even chocolate can not match.Īustralian happiness researcher Dr Marmolejo-Ramos found, "In our research, we found that when you forcefully practise smiling, it stimulates the amygdala – the emotional centre of the brain – which releases neurotransmitters to encourage an emotionally positive state. We know that smiling stimulates brain patterns that reinforce feelings of happiness and optimism. Never underestimate the power of a smile. And we know optimistic people tend to be happier. Is happiness the underpinning of optimism, or is optimism an underpinning of happiness? It doesn't matter - we know happier people tend to be more optimistic. Smile! Smile at every person you meet and pass today. "We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." said Saint Mother Teresa.