The Endless Smile Loop

This is how human beings work.  We infect others with our emotions, and in turn are infected by theirs.  Emotions are viral.  Here is how it works:

Smiling makes you more attractive and more sociable.  Others perceive you as more trustworthy.  You feel better about yourself and about others.

So, tell me again, what’s the downside of focusing on something as simple as a smile?  Hmm.

Never Underestimate the Power of Kindness

I received a phone call from a friend who just landed a job.  That news, by itself, was cause for celebration!

But the real reason for his call surprised me.

He’d come up to me at church one week and asked if he could meet me for coffee sometime — his treat.  (I’ll meet with most anyone who offers me free coffee, so I said Yes).

He’d been in an executive role, was now unemployed, and his search dragged on with little hope.  He was toying with the idea of doing some consulting, as an alternative to a traditional job.  I remember that during our meeting I listened and helped him brainstorm a bit.  I probably suggested a few contacts and strategies, but I must confess that the meeting was not very memorable for me.

Over the next few months I ran into him at several professional networking events, including some that I’d suggested to him.  I rejoiced with him when he landed a consulting gig.  Every so often he gifted me with a small package of some new, exotic coffee bean he’d come across — which I attributed to our shared love of fresh-ground dark-roasted coffee.

When he called today, I felt positively overwhelmed by the strength of his gratitude for my help. Apparently, that initial conversation last year helped to pull him out of a deep funk into which he’d descended.

His call reminded me of the power of Kindness — in this case, saying yes to a meeting and providing moral support and a listening ear.

It also reminded me that we don’t always recognize when we are doing something meaningful for another person. Sometimes just offering a smile or a listening ear to someone who’s having a bad day feels so easy” yet has a huge impact.  Perhaps the best strategy is to show up, always, with respect and a willingness to be of service.

And in case no one’s told you this today — I appreciate you!

Say Cheese: 15 Fascinating Facts About Smiling

Ken recently contacted me to share an article he thought my Happiness audience would also enjoy — on Smiles.  Of course!  Ken’s audience is nurses (www.nursingschools.net), so he’s really grounded his research in the medical world — proving that smiles are GOOD FOR YOU!

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Everyone loves the quote “laughter is the best medicine,” and as a nurse, you have probably even experienced the benefits of smiling and laughter with your patients. In fact, smiling can boost your mood and even your immune system. Keep reading for more fascinating facts about our smiles.

1. Forcing yourself to smile can boost your mood: Psychologists have found that even if you’re in bad mood, you can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself to smile.
2. It boosts your immune system: Smiling really can improve your physical health, too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system.
3. Smiles are contagious: It’s not just a saying: smiling really is contagious, scientists say. In a study conducted in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own.
4. Smiles Relieve Stress: Your body immediately releases endorphins when you smile, even when you force it. This sudden change in mood will help you feel better and release stress.
5. It’s easier to smile than to frown: Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile.
6. It’s a universal sign of happiness: While hand shakes, hugs, and bows all have varying meanings across cultures, smiling is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and acceptance.
7. We still smile at work: While we smile less at work than we do at home, 30% of subjects in a research study smiled five to 20 times a day, and 28% smiled over 20 times per day at the office.
8. Smiles use from 5 to 53 facial muscles: Just smiling can require your body to use up to 53 muscles, but some smiles only use 5 muscle movements.
9. Babies are born with the ability to smile: Babies learn a lot of behaviors and sounds from watching the people around them, but scientists believe that all babies are born with the ability, since even blind babies smile.
10. Smiling helps you get promoted: Smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.
11. Smiles are the most easily recognizable facial expression: People can recognize smiles from up to 300 feet away, making it the most easily recognizable facial expression.
12. Women smile more than men: Generally, women smile more than men, but when they participate in similar work or social roles, they smile the same amount. This finding leads scientists to believe that gender roles are quite flexible. Boy babies, though, do smile less than girl babies, who also make more eye contact.
13. Smiles are more attractive than makeup: A research study conducted by Orbit Complete discovered that 69% of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup.
14. There are 19 different types of smiles: UC-San Francisco researcher identified 19 types of smiles and put them into two categories: polite “social” smiles which engage fewer muscles, and sincere “felt” smiles that use more muscles on both sides of the face.
15. Babies start smiling as newborns: Most doctors believe that real smiles occur when babies are awake at the age of four-to-six weeks, but babies start smiling in their sleep as soon as they’re born.

Jim’s NOTE: The two pictures in this post are of my “baby” sister Eileen (who has a beautiful smile) and her youngest, Shannon.  Shannon was just 3 months old when this shot was taken — and she already was smilin’ like her mom!

To read this article in the original, visit here.  Thanks for Sharing a Smile, Ken!

Coca Cola and the Happiness Machine

Yes, a high-fructose, corn syrup-based soft drink that is currently under attack for being a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic has gone on the Happiness offensive.  First, watch this delightful video, then keep reading.

Coke = Brand Mastery

I must admire Coke for their masterful work in Brand Management.  I mean, how can you hate a product that makes you smile like this?

What’s YOUR Brand?

I think there’s a lesson here — but it’s not about sugary soda. It’s about things YOU can do, every day, to enhance your “brand” in the world, and change the impact you have on other people:

Do the unexpected. Share joy. Do things that give people a reason to smile. Send flowers. Serve “community food” that brings people together (like pizza or a long sub). Be random. Create a positive environment. Give hugs. When people ask you for something, occasionally give them more than they asked for. Laugh. Share with friends.

Yes, I may be a Coca Cola Grouch when it comes to their product, but I LOVE their message. Share some Happiness today!

Come To Work Happy

A reader from Singapore sent me this cartoon.  Happiness in the workplace is a global concern.  In an era of cost-cutting and bad news, this presents a clever, low-cost strategy for improving morale **

**Funny, yes?  The thing is, studies have shown that even FAKE SMILES can have an impact on mood.  That stems in part from the ‘fake it till you make it’ reality of the Mind-Body connection — when we act a part long enough, we eventually grow into the emotion, so smiling when you don’t feel it will, after a few minutes, lift your spirits a bit because you emotion races to match what you’re doing w/ your body.

The other reason why the Fake Smile exercise works is that other people are more likely to smile back at you when you wear a smile. Because we humans are emotionally contagious, others’ good feelings rub off on you, lightening your own mood a bit.  Cool, huh?!

A Smile really is a powerful weapon in the fight against negativity at work!

Happy-Making With Wordle!

I came across an incredibly fun and visually creative Web 2.0 site today: www.wordle.net. It brought a smile to my face, and I decided to share!

You link to or paste in text (e.g. from a blog, article, whatever) and the site creates a Tag Cloud (visual word cluster — such as you see at this blog site on the lower right, where higher frequency words appear larger, etc)

The Twist that make this site different from “competitor” sites: You can play with orientation (vertical, horizontal, or every which way), the font, the color, and even the language!   Here’s what emerged when I pasted in my 13 Principles of Happiness:

See it at the Source: www.wordle.net

Way cool, eh?!  I’m very visual, so creativity of this sort appeals to me in many ways.  How might I use something like this?  Post an announcement.  Give visual oomph to verbal content.  Make a point in a different way.  Write Visual Poetry ala ee cummings.  Create a PowerPoint slide that’s FAR from boring.

Or maybe, just maybe… for FUN!  For the pure pleasure of it.  We gotta make our own Happiness!