Smiles have a contagious effect. When we see someone else smile, we tend to smile as well. But more significantly, smiling has the power to change your mood and that of others around you. Take a moment to consider this. What do we do when we see a person we like, a baby laughing or a cute animal? We smile, right? Not only that, but we also feel good. That’s the euphoric power of a smile.
Smiling builds friendships. Studies have shown that people who smile more tend to be happier and healthier than those who smile less. Smiling is the most fundamental way to show our good intentions to others, especially when we are meeting them for the first time or when we are in a stressful situation. People will feel more at ease with you if you smile, even during job interviews!
Smiling also helps us make new friends. How? By sending out positive vibes and creating an agreeable atmosphere. Smiling is contagious, remember that. People will automatically feel at ease with you when you smile at them for no particular reason. If we treat others the way we want to be treated, we’ll get lots of friends and make our world a happier place.
How does smiling make others happy?
When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress. Then other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins come into play too. The endorphins act as a mild pain reliever, whereas serotonin is an antidepressant. Thus, you are more pleasant to be around for others.
Smiling can make others happy by being positive and making them feel good. It also lets the other person know that you are content with life, which makes them realize that they should be too. Smiling at others is a sign of wanting to talk to someone and introduce yourself, and it shakes people out of their shells and allows them the chance to do the same. Smiling at others is also contagious, so smiling can also put people in a good mood.
People who smile are considered attractive and more sociable than those who don’t often smile. Not only that, but people tend to like their smiles; it brightens up their faces and makes them look pretty (at least in the eyes of others). Smiling makes you feel good, so you want to do it more often. Which will make others smile and feel happier as well!
How can you build friendships?
Building better friendships
- Take ownership in the friendship.
- Commit to their happiness.
- Give them the hard truths.
- Be a good influence and respect their values.
- Be present.
- Invest in the relationship.
- Smile when you see them
How can I deepen my friendship?
- Prioritize Touching Base (Make it a practice to check-in every time a friend of yours crosses your mind)
- Make Plans and (This is the tough part) try to stick to them
- Initiate Intentional Conversations
- Get Away Together
- But Still: Know Your Boundaries
Some other ways to deepen a friendship:
Be a good listener. Encourage your friend to talk about him/herself. Ask questions and show genuine interest, this shows that you care.
Respect your friend’s privacy and treat him/her with respect. If a friend tells you something in confidence, don’t repeat it to others without permission. This is both polite and loyal.
Be generous with your friend. Share your things, give advice, be helpful, etc., but don’t cross the line into being overbearing. Allow your friend to breathe!
Reciprocate activities that your friends do for you. If your friend does you a favor, do her/him one too some time. If she/he invites you somewhere, invite her/him too.
Try to make your friend laugh (if it’s appropriate). This will brighten both of your days!
Plan activities to do with your friends where everyone can contribute and take turns. Remember that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so don’t be bossy or have expectations. Encourage everyone to be involved, and take the lead if someone doesn’t want to take it.
How does a smile affect others?
Other than smiling being contagious, what are the other positive facts about smiling?
First, research shows that there is a positive link between smiling and good health. As humans, we are naturally attracted to people who smile and tend to use that, to draw people to us. Smiling can work as a natural antidepressant, and the act of smiling activates neural messaging in our brains.
In addition, the act of smiling tends to boost your health because it kick-starts your immune system to function more effectively and then makes you more relaxed by releasing neurotransmitters. Smiling at another person can make that person feel rewarded. It can also create happiness and calmness.
Another feeling triggered by a smile is a sense of feeling fulfilled and content. This feeling then generates other positive sensations, which in turn produces many positive effects on our minds and bodies. Let’s look at those positive effects.
Smiling helps our bodies release cortisol and endorphins, which provide numerous health benefits, including reducing blood pressure. In addition, increased endurance reduces pain, reduces stress, and can strengthen our immune system.
Research also says that smiling can help prevent wrinkles by training the muscles around the lips, mouth, and cheek areas to avoid sagging prematurely.
How Does Smiling Build Friendships?
Smiling makes us feel happy and optimistic, which also reduces our emotional vulnerability. Smiling gives us a sense of belonging and enhances the quality of our social interactions.
To build on this idea, smiling is contagious: if we smile, we make others feel good too. It has nothing to do with reciprocating or being generous. If you smile, it makes the other person feel good, and doing things for others helps build friendships.
Smiling is not only contagious, it’s also universal: we all know how to do it and we know what it means even if we don’t speak the same language. Smiling can also make you more approachable, which can make your life a little bit easier.
The last fact is the simplest of all the facts: smiling is free and it’s something we can do anytime, anywhere. Keep on smiling my friends!