I’ve recently conducted a little experiment at work, which has completely changed my work and personal life.
I was stuck in a bit of a rut, not enjoying coming to work so much, struggling to balance my relationship with the overtime I had to do and feeling a bit out of it in general. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with any part of my life, but getting up in the morning got a little harder. Then I read this article about the benefits of smiling.
At first I skimmed over it, thinking it was just another one of those nonsense filler articles. But just reading about smiling made me smile immediately and that made me happy instantly. So I decided to conduct an experiment at work; I would try to smile as much as I could for a week. The result was incredible!
Smiling is contagious
I’ve never had so many compliments in my life!
It gave me so much energy that I got all my work done with time to spare, I even found time to do little things I had been putting off for a while. It made me feel positive all the time, it helped me deal with disappointments and even made me feel more attractive.
Another great thing about smiling is that it is contagious. I noticed that my colleagues’ faces would light up when I talked to them. It also made them open up and I’ve had some interesting personal conversations with people at work that I didn’t know very well before.
My improved attitude towards my work also influenced my personal life and relationship. When I came home I had so much more energy left to do fun things. I realised that when I didn’t enjoy my day at work I took that energy home with me and couldn’t let that go. Now there is a healthy separation between my work and personal life.
I’ve never believed much in all these books and article’s about ‘changing your life in 5 steps’ and ‘creating a more positive outlook’. It’s not as easy as that. When someone gives you the advice to “just cheer up” you can’t magically feel better can you? But the great thing about a smile is that you can start with a fake one and it automatically turns into a real one.
I know that sounds wrong and I’m not saying you should have a strange grimace on your face all day long. But if you try it out and practice it becomes really easy and genuine! It has been proven that smiling and laughing releases endorphins, so smiling is like a natural drug
You might shrug at reading this, but I dare you to try it and deny it works! So leave a comment if you would like to
Written by:
This post was written by Martijn who is working for Springest.co.uk, an independent comparison website for training programmes and courses. They help around thousands of people a month finding the right course which suits them best at the moment and would make them smile.
No related posts.
Twitter: MarieAtAlki
You are absolutely right! I try to focus on the things I enjoy in my life, rather than the things that annoy me. (Don’t always succeed, but I try.) So when I’m walking down the street, I am usually in a good mood. I noticed a while back that everyone seemed to be smiling at me as they passed by. I thought it was some strange miracle until I realized that I was smiling because I was happy. Other people were smiling back, maybe because they thought I was smiling at them. Whatever the reason, as you say, smiling is contagious. And that’s a good thing.
Marie´s last [type] ..Why I Finally Bought a Kindle
Twitter: mandylehto
Thank you for the thoughtful post. Image Advisory is a key part of my job, and I realize the power of smiling. It makes you look more approachable, more attractive, younger – all good! Plus, it’s unleashing your inner beauty. I wanted to share a fun post from Tiny Buddha for those days when you need some insight on coaxing the smile out: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/51-things-that-will-make-you-smile/ Thanks again for the post!
Thanks for sharing this Martijn, just what I needed this morning. It is almost impossible to smile and not have some part of you feel lighter. Things just seem that tiny bit less black when you smile and so you can find a way to realize that you will make it through this tough moment… and life is just lots of moments. and I like mine with a smile, thank you very much!!!
Martijn
I’m known for being a smiley person. I’ve had years of practice – and I’m even pretty good at looking smiley and therefore people think happy when I’m completely the opposite on the inside. Smiling does help you get more out of people and I think it helps build trust as it shows a sort of openness. As the old saying goes ‘smile and the World smiles with you.’
Hope you’re keeping up the smile
Twitter: acharlescoach
I fully believe in the benefits of smiling, especially when it’s the last thing you want to do. Mind/body over emotion.
Angela C.´s last [type] ..Day 21 – Bits and pieces that POP