Do you know that YOU have a special super power?

Yes you do! You have that special Power to SMILE!!!

Do you know, unborn babies practice crying and smiling while still in the womb?

3-D ultrasound technology now shows that developing babies appear to smile even in the womb.

After they’re born, babies continue to smile (initially mostly in their sleep) and even blind babies smile in response to the sound of the human voice.

Here are some facts about a SMILE

a SMILE is one of the most basic, biologically uniform expressions of all humans.

Atlas Corps Fellows have the best smiles 😉

It is discovered that smiles are cross-cultural and have the same meaning in different societies.

Smiling is not just a universal means of communicating, it’s also a frequent one.
More than 30% of us smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14% of us smile less than 5 times a day. In fact, those with the greatest SUPERPOWERS are actually children, who smile as many as 400 times per day!

Portrait Photo of Three Smiling Girls

Have you ever wondered why being around children who smile frequently makes you smile more often?

•Why? Because smiling is INVOLUNTARILY CONTAGIOUS and we have a subconscious innate drive to smile when we see one.

•People’s smiles actually suppress the control we usually have over our facial muscles, compelling us to smile. Therefore it is very difficult to frown when looking at someone who smiles. This occurs even among strangers when we have no intention to connect or affiliate with the other person.

WONDER WHY I REFER TO A SMILE AS A SUPER POWER? HERE ARE THE REASONS:

•Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate, a well-regarded pleasure-inducer, cannot match.

•And unlike lots of chocolate, lots of smiling can actually make you healthier.

•Smiling has been associated with: reduced stress hormone levels (like cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine), increased health and mood enhancing hormone levels (like endorphins), and lowered blood pressure.

•If that’s not enough, smiling also makes us look good in the eyes of others.

•When we smile we not only appear more likeable and courteous, but we’re actually perceived to be more competent.

• A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.

•Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.

•Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a than other mere distractions. It will make you happy and put you in a positive frame of mind.

• People who are optimistic (and these are the people who are out there smiling!) have stronger immune systems and are actually able to fight off illness better than pessimists.

So now we know that:

When you smile, you look good and feel good.
When others see you smile, they smile too.
When others smile, they look good and feel good, too.

Also note that:

Your smile is a messenger of your good will.

Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it.

To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.

Especially when that someone is under pressure from his bosses, his customers, his teachers or parents or children, a smile can help him realize that all is not hopeless – that there is joy in the world.

RESOLUTION!

So now, whenever you want to look great and competent, improve your relationships, or reduce your stress…or whenever you want to feel as good as when you’ve enjoyed a stack of high quality chocolate without incurring the caloric cost, or as if you randomly found a $100 note in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn for ages…or when you want to tap into a superpower and help yourself and others live longer, healthier happier lives…SMILE