We don’t want to hear anymore about the enlightened benefits of tooth-whitening. There are better things to do with a smile than improve it.
Point it at a stray dog. Point it at your special someone. Point it in the mirror. Now try this: point your smile up into the distance. You may have the strange sensation that whatever cloud happens to catch your eye is causing the sudden happiness in your cheeks. But it isn’t so. You smiled before you saw the cloud. An airplane or a clothesline could have just as easily inspired the happy bubble in your cheeks. You made the choice to be happy before you even knew what you were looking at: the smile was inside you all along.
Your heart likes smiling, laughing too. Research has shown that optimism in older men decreases the risk of coronary heart disease. In the study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the most optomistic of the men had a risk of heart disease less than half that of the most pessimistic men. Laughter significantly reduces the risk of heart attack, perhaps because of the way it relieves stress that can lead to arterial blockage.
Look at something you wouldn’t normally call “smile inspiring” and give it a great big ol’ grin. You might end up liking Excel spreadsheets, a tangled extension cord, or even these guys (but they already look lovable).
Get familiar with your laugh. Don’t worry if it’s weird. Let it out through your nose and teeth; tears are good. Make wheezing sounds. Choke. Gasp. That’s your body’s way of unwinding itself, and you aren’t laughing for anyone but you.
Don’t wait for things to make you happy. You own your smile and your laugh. Seek happiness at every corner of your day, whether it’s sunny or grey. Point your smile at whatever you please and see how inspiring the world can be.
