Tip #70 Smile!

from "82 Tips for Thriving in the Workplace."
(A selection from Stress Management)

SMILE!
I mean... really smile! You’re gonna get wrinkles anyway… might as well come from smiling than frowning. And research shows a smile can fool your mind into thinking things aren’t so bad after all.

An Example:
A girlfriend told me the following story today. She began hanging around with a new friend who has the habit of a ready smile. Wherever they went, her friend had a smile for everyone. One day Charlotte asked, "How do you feel if they don't smile back?" Smiling, of course, this was her girlfriend's response. "It doesn't affect me. In fact, I don't even really notice ." So Charlotte, almost by osmosis, started smiling more. And what did she notice? "I actually started to feel better, and not only emotionally. Physically I started feeling better too. And my posture improved." Why do you think your posture improved, I inquired. "Because," she continued, "smiling somehow made me feel better in general and when I feel better I stand taller."

Come on... I can see the corners of your mouth trying to curl...