What A Smile Can Do

This week while tutoring my students, I started with a simple game of Tic Tac Toe. We played several rounds to get to the championship winner. The amount of joy and excitement they displayed was enchanting. This rapid morsel of fun put gigantic smiles on their faces. More importantly, it made them more excitable for the reading lesson. This simple game put everyone on an even playing field no matter their academic status. Everyone felt they were successful, and they were all smiling. As the teacher, I knew they would absorb the knowledge better because they felt happy.

A simple smile has so many benefits. Smiling has been proven to release many endorphins that increase better moods. Whether your smile is genuine or not, it can act on your body and mind in a range of positive ways, offering benefits for your health, mood, and even the moods of people around you.

Smiling can be a conscious, intentional choice When stressed, take the time to put on a smile. The physical act of smiling motivates conduits in your brain that impact your emotional state. Just think of smiling as a natural antidepressant.

Smiling can be contagious. Smiling not only will elevate your mood, but it can also change the moods of people you interact with for the better. Perhaps, try putting on a smile at meetings, family dinners, and daily events. You might find that people react to you differently.😄

Dr. Stredic, EdD

Author of Metamorphosis Through Life: Quotes and Affirmations (barnesandnoble.com)

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