It was a rainy Tuesday morning and I was sleepily walking down from the townhouses to Canisius, cursing my decision to take a 9:30 a.m. art history class.
What had I been thinking? Clearly not much. I wanted nothing more than to listen to a few depressing Beck tunes (the only person who could possibly understand my misery) before I slouched into my chair to be tortured about the Beat Generation of artists for an hour and fifteen minutes.
I tried to tell myself that I’d be positive, participate and smile in class that day, but who was I trying to kid? Any thought I would try to verbalize would surely sound like William Burroughs himself: rambling, incoherent and downright sad.
Well, I got through the class. It wasn’t easy, but by the time I shuffled out of the classroom, I had some pep in my step and the corners of my mouth turned upwards with a little more ease. But as I walked past the BCC to start the trek back up to the townhouses, I spotted a friend.
“Kelly!” Katie shouted. “What was up with you not saying hello to me this morning?”
My cheeks turned pink. I simply hadn’t noticed my friend while I drifted around campus in a daze, but the damage had been done, yet again. I have to admit: Katie wasn’t the first person to tell me that I had “missed” offering a smile, wave or hearty “hello” in the morning.
How many times have you studied your toes instead of saying hello to that person you’ve seen a thousand times?
Sometimes it feels like too much effort to smile and say hello. I know I’ve avoided it a few times, guiltily regretted it later on and tried to compensate the following day (which resulted in several Fairfield students thinking I’m on drugs). I always seem to compensate with the same strangers. I guess they have the same route around campus as me.
But there are reasons why it’s difficult to crack a smile. As college students, we’re always tired. Even if we get 10 hours of sleep, we can’t seem to drag our sad bodies out of bed with a smile. We’re stressed because we have three exams in one day. We’re hungover. We’re always in a rush. I know I’m constantly running around like a chicken with its head cut off- and that chicken is not smiling.
Even if we’re having a great day, we’re nervous that we’re not going to remember the person’s name that we semi-know and are about to smile at. Was it Erin or Ellen? Gosh, they’re so close.
We’re also nervous that Erin or Ellen won’t remember who we are. So what if you talked to her for an hour at the Sandbar over the weekend? So what if you’re still in art history with her? It doesn’t mean she knows who you are. What an embarassing situation that could be. But you both know you probably know one another’s names as your eyes dart in different directions. It’s almost funny.
Let’s just step back and think for a moment: what’s the worst that could come out of smiling at a person who might not remember you? Okay, she might think: “Wow, that random person I’ve never met was unusually nice!” But hey, that’s not that bad. In fact, that’s kind of nice. Maybe Erin and Ellen was having a bad day. Maybe now she’s going to smile at a person that she doesn’t know.
Make yourself smile and say hello. Not only will it make the person you smile at happier, it will also make you happier. Smiling releases endorphins that make us feel better.
Did you know that it takes more mucles to appear cross and frown than it takes to smile? Actually, it takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile. Yep, that means it takes more effort to be a grouch than it does to be pleasant. Who knew? I didn’t!
Smiling is a universal expression of happiness. It’s contagoius. Studies show that happiness is a by-product of smiling, not the other way around. So the more you smile, the happier you are.
But the benefits of smiling don’t stop there. According to AmbassadorYouth.com, 72 percent of Americans view those who smile often as being more confident and successful than those who don’t. Just by smiling during an interview could put you ahead of that guy who is more qualified but can’t crack one. And the statistics back it up: bosses are 12 percent more likely to promote employees who smile often.
On the social side of things, who can forget the sickening quote, “Don’t frown because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile.” I know it’s overly cutesy but maybe there’s some truth to it, because 86 percent of Americans say they’re more likely to strike up a conversation with strangers if they’re smiling.
Did you know that studies have proven that when you smile on the telephone, the person on the other end of the line can tell? Smiling makes your mouth form words differently and therefore makes the tone of your voice more positive.
A smile expresses joy, happiness and friendliness. It offers empathy, insight, understanding and feeling. It enriches the people who recieve and the people who give it. There’s no limit to its power, and it’s free.
So, smile at the pizza guy, the girl in the tollbooth, the security guard who checks your ID at the entrance of Fairfield and the person who you so desperately want to avoid as you walk to class. Heck, smile at yourself in the mirror when you brush your teeth. It may seem silly, but it makes a difference.
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