“Smiling is something that is understood by everyone despite culture, race, or religion; it is internationally known. Cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is a means of communicating emotions throughout the world.” - Carroll E. Izard (1971). The Face of Emotion, New York: Appleton-Century-Croft.
I read that quote 11 years ago, and it still pops up in my feeds a few times a year. Smiles are indeed international, universal, and mean the same thing to all cultures. Without a single word, smiling at someone normally gets a smile right back. When I wake up each morning, I smile. Why? I am grateful and happy for waking up to experience a new day. Yes, some mornings are a little challenging as my body hurts, but I am still thankful that I can feel the soreness. Overall, I’ve found that a smile sets the intention of goodness each morning and makes the day better.
Go out and sprinkle a few smiles around, and watch what happens. If nothing else, you feel better and in some humorous cases, it makes people wonder what you are smiling about.
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