I’m sure you’ve seen or heard the mantra “Smile often. Live well. Love much.”
There is a reason smiling is step #1. Going through life with a smile on your face allows you to roll with punches and take whatever comes your way in stride.
Smiles are contagious. They’re a type of positive virus that can make the most impact on the soul in the shortest amount of time.
I’ve amplified this phenomenon most recently as a father to my twin babies. Being so young, you’d think they’re not constructed to understand emotions yet.
So why is it that when I smile at them, they smile back?
Better yet, how do they even know what a smile represents? How can they tell that it’s being caused by delight or excitement?
The only answer is that we are built this way as humans. We were constructed to smile willingly and infectiously and be impacted by those that smile around us.
Don’t believe me? Throw a smile toward a casual passerby on a whim, or smile at the baby playing on her parent’s lap.
If your smile is truly genuine, you will receive a smile in return.
That’s because we can’t resist joy.
Humans were designed to default to happy.