What's in a smile?

Ever wonder what the deal is with smiles? I mean…think about it. They really aren’t that pleasant to look at. What’s with the whole turning up the mouth thing? The muscles in the face contract to draw up one’s lips. In a really enthusiastic move, one can even control their lips in order to expose their white protrusions of enamel. And we like this because…? Not only do we enjoy seeing someone’s gaping mouth, but it can actually be contagious. Does anyone else see the oddity in this?

No matter how gruesome the actual gesture of a smile may actually be, there’s something about it that we all like.

Something magical happens when we smile. And when I say “magical,” I mean something that seems to have been supernaturally created – which I believe to be the truth. It makes me wonder about the very first smile. Whose was it? Did Adam smile when he saw Eve? Or was it Eve who first smiled? When their first child smiled, was it just as contagious as babies’ smiles are today? Was smiling something that was automatically understood as good and positive, or was it an expression that was created then passed down through the generations?

When you think about it, most facial expressions are odd. We’ve learned how to read quirked eyebrows, furrowed brows, scrunched up noses and narrow eyes. We’ve learned and mimicked them so well that they come automatically to our own faces, controlled by emotions. Yet even as we have learned these subtle signs so well, eyebrows can be misinterpreted. Eyes can be deceiving. Even a frown doesn’t always mean one is sad – they might simply be concentrating. But I dare say that a smile is the least likely expression to be misinterpreted.

When we see someone else’s smile, it evokes the purest form of delight. We take pleasure in seeing others’ pleasure. A smile can bring comfort. It can ease pain. It can make us laugh. It has the power to soften hearts, greet another without words and offer the most genuine encouragement. The greatest ability though, is when one smile leads to another. No other expression is so contagious.

It makes me wonder why, if we hold such power, we do not use it more often. If a smile can truly do all those things – which it can – why are we not spreading this contagion more often? A genuine smile never hurt anyone – the wearer or the recipient. So what’s to lose?

Smile at your neighbor. The waiter at the restaurant. The school bus driver. The old lady you see in the store all the time. The child you pass on the street. You friends. Your family. Your coworkers.

Sometimes it’s not easy to smile. But the most incredible thing of all is that when we give the gift of a smile, we actually receive a portion of the blessing ourselves.

Spread a little love. It’s a win-win for all involved.

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