A smile is such a simple neuro-muscular event that most of the time we do it without even thinking about it. It tells people so much about our emotional state and even if we are not feeling over the moon ecstatic, just stretching the corners of our mouths and elevating our cheeks can bring with it mood elevation. It makes us seem more approachable and is quite contagious. People feel a sense of bonding when in the company of other smilers. I remember an episode from one of my favorite shows Ally McBeal in which one of the quirky (weren’t they all?) lawyers John Cage played by Peter MacNicol uses ‘smile therapy’ to assist himself and a co-worker to cheer up. He made smiley faces in the mirror and even though it seemed goofy, it worked. Check it out yourself.

Another iconic smile moment was in the film Forrest Gump in which the main character was running and fell in a mud puddle, wiped his face on a t-shirt and out popped the familiar image.

Today is World Smile Day, so let yours shine~