Want people around you to be more positive? Check your face first.
Source: The Science of a Smile
Seem like a simple solution? A Smile? I’m often surprised by how many people are unaware, or unconscious of their body language when it comes to communication with friends, family or in businesses.
I studied theatre in my 20’s – and a majority of the classes focused on the body, the language the body emits and how to be aware and change it to ensure you are transmitting the right signals.
The project #sayhitoastranger that I founded was created on this very principle – open up, smile and BE interested in the person you are walking past, getting coffee from, sitting across from on the bus. We’ve all gotten so wrapped up in our own little worlds with work, kids, home and all the ‘busyness’ of our days, we forget the most simple, and most effective antidepressant and mood lifter. Smile, engage and acknowledge the people around us.
So, how about it? Practice some genuine, authentic and joyful smiling today when you communicate, pass by or otherwise engage with other human beings around you. Get those pearly whites some airtime and let yourself feel what comes from that body language when you crack that grin – I promise you’ll feel a whole lot better almost immediately!
