Smiling sends a powerful, empowering message not just to other people, but to yourself. When you smile, you brain releases neuropeptides, including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which can improve your mood and reduce stress.
Most of our goals, professional or personal, at their very core are a variation of the same underlying goal—wanting to feel safe. When we smile, we send a message of safety not just to ourselves, but to those around us, too.
Smiling is a powerful way to acknowledge people, to connect and feel connected wordlessly, to express a silent recognition that we’re not alone, we’re all in this together. It’s also a way of predisposing people and even disarming them. And it’s a way of seeing people.
Four ways to use the power of your smile
If you want to use the power of your smile more, here are three simple ways how you can do this:
Smile when approaching people
Approaching people with a smile connects us to them. it makes them relax and it makes us relax, too. Our smile sends a message about our intentions and makes both sides safer in each others’ presence. Whether we’re about to have a fun, neutral or difficult conversation with someone, beginning with a smile can only help.
Smile when doing something difficult
Smiling when doing something difficult or unpleasant makes going through the experience easier. I often smile when I run, especially during difficult periods of the run—when the weather is horrible, when I feel tired. If you’re about to deliver a presentation that you’re not looking forward to, or make a difficult phone call, try begin with a smile.
Smile to yourself
Smile to yourself. As you’re sitting on your desk, or when you look at yourself in the mirror, just smile, for no reason. I’ve been smiling while writing this article and it has definitely improved my mood!
Smile at strangers
I often smile at people as I pass them by—on the street, in the supermarket, even when I’m in my car and they’re on the street—I just smile at strangers. Some of them will smile back, and it always makes me feel better. But even if they don’t, I feel better for just smiling. And perhaps, I’ve made one or two of them feel better, too.