Smile! :-)

Everyone knows that we're attracted to people who smile. There are numerous health benefits   too of smiling.

As children, we smiled and laughed so easily. Have you seen babies and really young children?  Have you noticed  how infectious their happy attitudes are? We find ourselves smiling very broadly indeed when a baby smiles at you or when a child does. (I go absolutely ga-ga over babies who smile at me!) Most experts tell you that even if you force yourself to smile and act happy when things are going wrong, you actually begin feeling better. I can vouch it is true. I have a friend who makes me laugh so much. She and I giggle like sillies over small stupidities and trivial things and within minutes we're feeling great. I so miss her!(We used to be neighbours  when I lived in Bangalore)

When I was very young, about 5 or maybe 6, I took part in a 'smiling contest' because my teacher at school entered my name for it. I had no idea what it meant and I have no clue who were the morons who thought of holding such a contest for kids that age. All I knew was that I had to go up on stage and smile. I did. The next thing I know, I was told I had won and my parents were sent a letter. Later I came to know that it was an offer from a toothpaste company to model for their product! Turned out that the  Morons who thought of the 'smiling contest' were quite smart after all.

Ever since then, I have smiled whenever there is a camera in sight :-) It is like a reflex reaction :-) I see a camera or even its shadow and I grin. :-) I cannot help it. Almost every photograph of mine, ever since childhood, where I am looking directly into the camera, will be a smiling one. One plastered  with a huge 'Isn't-life-great-I-am-so-happy 'smile.

The other day, on my Facebook profile I put up a very different picture of me which my son had clicked without my knowledge. I put it up because I liked it. It prompted a huge flood of comments from my friends as well as from people who know me only as the author of the book. Most of them hated the photo and wanted me to take it off. Most said I looked angry and asked if I was pissed off about something. I truly wasn't! I was, in fact ,watching a Bollywood Hindi number (which I quite enjoy watching) and so was concentrating on steps and choreography in the song (as I love to dance) . Then my son called out to me and told me to look into the camera and like magic the smile was back :-)



Both the black and white pictures were clicked within seconds of one another. After I got so many comments for the first picture which I had put up as my profile picture, I was prompted to study these two pictures and then I thought about how much a smile really conveys, which made me write this post. The third picture was clicked when I was genuinely happy and I finally changed the profile picture to the third one after so many comments about looking angry! :-)

Top Reasons  why I believe you should smile most of the time (For smiling all the time you have to be Mona Lisa :-)) [These are in addition to health benefits of smiling given at the start of the post].

1." It creates warmth. Think of it as the rent you have to pay for occupying space on this Earth. You're living here--it is your duty to spread a little warmth." --Preeti Shenoy :)

2. Smiling also makes one look younger :-) (Yes--it is true)

3. A smile will ward off all those uncomfortable questions which the 'Prickers'   like to ask.

4. "A genuine smile improves your face value".--Author unknown

5".Smiling is contagious. It spreads. The side benefit is that it also helps you make friends faster".--Preeti Shenoy

6.Smiling makes people wonder what you're up to. :-)

7."People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile" --Lee Mildon.

8. "A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home."  ~Author Unknown

9. "A smile is a curve that can set everything straight"--Phyllis Diller

10. "Wear a smile. one size fits all."--Author unknown.

11.Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.  ~Mother Teresa
 

12.A smile costs nothing but gives much.  It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give.  It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.  None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it.  Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.  Some people are too tired to give you a smile.  Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.  ~Author Unknown


Still need reasons? Or are you smiling now? :-)
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Ps: If you want to smile a bit more, watch the video on the right :)  and if you liked it watch this.

Comments

  1. Am definitely smiling :) Beautiful post Preeti...so true that if we force ourselves to smile & act happy, we actually begin feeling better.

    And, you do look "angry" in the first photo

    Cheers,

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  2. hey, new here. ur post surely brought a smile on my face. thanks and keep smiling.:) i do plan to pick up ur book btw, sounds interesting :)

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  3. Super infectious smiley post, Preeti. I am beaming now!!
    Now my darling toddler who saw me smiling when I was reading your post smiled up to me and asked me why I was smiling? :-) I showed her your pictures and now she is smiling :-). Absolutely loved all the 12 quotes. Have a cheerful and smiley day!!
    -gayu

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  4. not having a good day and just really needed this post.

    thank you for always bringing smiles on people's faces preeti :)

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  5. Thank you for making me smile Preeti. I loved the quotes you've posted here, esp the one that says to consider smile as the rent you've to pay for... Isn't that sweet?Your photos look grt too, Ohh! not the first one.

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  6. Big smile. Its after all a window to a happy mind and very infectious as you have said. Nice quotes.

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  7. I love that photograph. its thoughtfull beautiful.

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  8. Hi Preeti,
    I guess u have got loads of comments on your pic... but all the 3 are really nice... and it really looks naturally :-0

    And of all the reason #5 is the best ;)

    ONe more reson to add why smiling is better, it takes more facial muscles to frown, and then smile. (Some counts say 33 muscles put up a frown face, where as only 13 to have a nice smile)
    So why not smile.

    Cheers,
    Anish

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  9. Its early morning in India and my day has just begun. So good to begin it with a post that brought an immediate smile on my face !
    Its true smiling faces do cheer you up !!

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  10. You made me smile.



    Wishes Always,


    Inder

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  11. I bet we all agree on benefits of smiling ;) It can be so welcoming and friendly, just a smile..

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  12. Hi Preeti,

    Me back again, i finally completed the same questions on my post Interesting perspectives.

    One of my friend writes really nice and lovely poems, you will like them, as you have a seperate section labeled "poem"
    http://romanticpoemsforu.blogspot.com/
    And the first one got editorial's choice award

    Thanks,
    Anish

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  13. Smiling this side of the continent. :)

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  14. :) :)

    nice post to start my day with!

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  15. smiling from Doha...and u do have a wonderful smile!

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  16. Smile is infectious....am smiling now after reading this...Thanks for making my day start with a smile...:)

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  17. How true...people never forget a smiling face...and yes it conveys a certain warmth...makes people feel you won't bite them if approached :)

    In fact I have a friend who loves my smile and my laughter so much that he calls me up out of the blue..only to hear my laughter! :D

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  18. ...and a Smile definietly increases one's face value - yours, mine, his, hers, ...everybodys!

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  19. We dont lose anything by smiling...so dats y i keep smiling always..:) nice post P. & i know ur smiling too now!

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  20. When i saw the post mentioned in Buzz.. this song from Boyzone called words crept into my mind. It is one the mostest (i know there is no such word..just to emphasize!!) favorite song in English.. the starting of the song is something like this:

    smile an ever lasting smile
    a smile can bring you near to me

    And yeah i did see the pic but i dared not to comment in case you got angrier :D ;)

    Smile is one thing that can just mesmerize you. You may have been fighting with your best friend over some silly reason and a smile from him/her would make you forget it all..

    One small experience i had was when i was in Bangalore a month back, i was rather upset and depressed at the way things were going in my life.. felt everything sucks!! when out of randomness a small kid on his way to school i guess waved and smiled at me, i do not know what happened because everything just felt great, like nothing sucked!! it was great feeling... smile does help!

    Keep Smiling
    Shantharam

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  21. Hi.......
    If you could actually see me right now, you could see the huge smile on my face....... btw...i m at work and people are wondering why i m staring at my computer and smiling so much :)hehehehe
    It's a great post.........i say that bcos the post genuiely made me smile and feel great.......
    LOvely thoughts ......it is especially true that smile costs nothing but gives so much

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  22. I think you shd smile because i like your smile ..isn't that a reason enough :)

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  23. smile is an icebreaker. It wins us friends and makes relationships.
    Pictures speak louder than words - this is so true to this smile blog of yours. Those two pictures spoke the difference.
    Honestly I feel the most celebrated smile of monalisa has a tinge of sadness and does'nt seem to be coming from the heart.

    BTW the first time i came to your blog your genuine smile impressed me. Let us keep smiling.

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  24. I can imagine why you got so many comments about that non-smiling picture. Guess it is the first picture of yours without a smile on your face that we've seen :-)

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  25. I had noticed I had noticed!! that very different pic on facebook. Aah.. so Atul was the one! :)
    I watched the video on the right midway thru reading ur post :) awww that was so sweet! :)

    And now.. :) I am going to print out these points and put it up in my lab notice board for my lovely students to read. They already are a bundle of smiles, but their results came out yday and they did not perform particularly well. I'm sure they need this now, more than the entertainment I provide. *hugs* to u!! :)

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  26. Liked the last quote (#12) a lot :) And of course the rent one :)
    Haven't yet seen youtube vids

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  27. Agree with the smile philosophy. And must say I have been blessed to have 3 people in my family whose smiles lights up my day. I also have first hand experience of how you smile whenever a camera is pointed towards you.
    In front of a camera however there is one additional bit that is needed. A photogenic face. Not many people have that unfortunately. Anyway am smiling right now.

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  28. Sorry forgot to clarify that I was referring to me here when I talked about the photogenic face.

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  29. You know --- my dad always used to say when he would take me to school everyday - Smile and the world smiles back. Remember to smile.

    And this has been in my head these last couple of days.

    :)

    Loved this post! Reminded me to just smile and not worry!

    hugs,

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  30. LOL at Satish's comment :)

    The entire post had me smiling BIG!

    I love both quotes of yours - get a patent :P

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  31. Well honestly,I was all grumpy before I read your post.After reading,I am all smiles.Thank you for this lovely post.:)

    Btw,you have a lovely smile.:)

    Keep smiling! :)

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  32. nice quotes :) a smile is indeed infectious and i think you have a lovely smile :D

    that pic did cause a lot of havoc didn't it? tho i must say you don't look angry just preoccupied!

    suma

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  33. Anonymous8:03 PM

    Beautiful post!:) one that made me smile:) explaining with the help of your own pics made it more personal and made me smile as well..when I saw the difference as smile makes:)

    yes, I am a firm believer in smiles..giving them as well as receiving them:)

    I apply the same theory more or less to hugs as well:) (maybe not complete strangers and then again sometimes even them):)

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  34. I don't like the first photograph :-)

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  35. Haddock: Welcome to my blog. Yes--many did not :) I liked it.

    Indyeah: :) I agre with you about hugs too :)

    Suma: thanks :) I also felt I didnt look angry :) But that is because you have 'seen' me :)

    Anu: Thanks :)

    Shachi: Thanks :) Have registered the first one with quotiki :)

    EM: Your dad was right :)

    Jyotiajay:Hope to! :)

    Satish: dont fish for compliments..I make you look good in photos :) A lot depends on the photographer :)

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  36. Ajay: :-) Watch the videos..Will be changing it soon.

    Shruuuuu: HUGS!! :) I am smiling now :)

    wanderlust: Must be!

    Asha: :) Thank U :) I didnt know a smile could impress too :P :)

    Swati: Absolutely!

    Rujuta: Happy it made u smile :)

    Shantharam: i too like that song and can sing it by-heart :) The song is more about words though..But I still like it :)

    Chandni: i know u do!

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  37. SS: I second that!

    Varsh: You're blessed to have that friendship.Cherish it! :)

    Sundari: :-)

    Sindhu: :-)

    Mamta: :-)

    Meira: :-)

    Anish: Will see. yes I did see the poems..thank you for the link..But I prefer simple easy poems :P :)

    Lakshmi: I agree :)

    Inder: :-)

    Ruch: oh yes--they are as essential as sunshine! :)

    Tim: i liked it too thank you.

    Ramesh: :-) Big smile :)

    Ariel: :-) I liked the first one too :-) Its more 'me' :-)

    Only one: :-) happy to put a smile on your face

    Gayu:awww--kiss her for me!!

    Momo's ma: welcome to my blog :) Thanks for commenting :)

    Palsworld: Yes--but I wasnt! :)

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  38. A long time ago, a really REALLY long time ago, I posted about smiling at strangers, to see how they react.

    I still do that. Largely because I find it disarms people, and they let down their guard. I have trouble emotionally (psychiatrist, anyone?) with closed off people, and so have created this habit unconsciously I think. But, the benefits are huge. It is really rare, when smiling at someone they do not smile back. But it will then trigger something in them; the need to release. They tend to start telling you their troubles! So, either way, it ends up helping them.

    I love LOVE your smile, because you are pretty and lovely to look at but also because it conveys how very friendly and fun you are. The non-smiling photo (as I already told you on FB) is extremely pretty too-unguarded. Yet pretty.

    So no, I think we are a mirror for each other. If people see you as angry, perhaps they are feeling angry? I don't know.

    Keep smiling though, you are soooo right!!!! xoxoxo

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  39. Nice post!! :-)
    I must say you always choose a simple topic and write it in such an interesting and peppy way, it always makes me smile at the end of it.

    And I love the random photos you post!! :D

    *cheers*

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  40. Anusha: thank you thank you :)

    Gillian: i am soooooo with you! (i think I need a psychiatrist too :P )People are always telling me their troubles too! Thank you for those fab fab compliments! :-)

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  41. Such a beautiful, beautiful post!!!! A simple curve and what a difference it makes. It reminded me of when I was younger....the neighbours always told my mom how I always had a smile on my face. Actually all I did was grin, wish a good morning and scoot before they asked me anything else;-P. But even now when they meet me they never fail to mention tht;-o
    Watched both the video and Connie Talbot was amazing. My kids are totally impressed;-D

    p.s: Loved ur answer to Satish....maybe b'coz its exactly what I tell my husband;-D

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  42. I would be nothing new to say that the post is lovely and made me smile.... coz you already know that.... but ya what made my smile broader is re-collection of all those times when my smile is "too broad" for the camera and my friends giggle over my "bateesi" and my inadvertantly poising for each shutter in the vicinity... :)... Thnak you for that!

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  43. Sagarika: Same pinch on smiling broadly broadly for camera! :-)

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  44. How did u manage to overlook my big fat comment;-o

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  45. Reflections: ayyyoooo, Kshamikyu..thetu pati poyi!!! --i am very very sorry tera naam bhool gayi :P (In case you think I have gone mad, let me clarify, it is a song!)You can watch it here :) WAs in between my son's physics homework (I HATE physics) which explains the slip! :-)

    Thank you for the lovely comment! Oh yes--i also showed the Connie Talbo video to my two. her confidence is amazing isn't it? One 'I dont care' atttiude.

    I am sure your smile is just as terrfic now. I owe you a mail--and I shall reply soon!!

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  46. ROFL.....;-D

    Ayyooo Kshemichu, kshemichu, oru thette ellarkum pattum;-D

    I was going to wind up for the day and thot I'll just chk...thanks for the belly-heaving laugh;-D

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  47. Reflections: LOL :D I also laughed heartily after reading your response :-) Called satish also to show him :-) But the physics got in between (AGAIN) ! :)

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  48. I couldn't stop smiling..:) Thanks for the lovely post. Sometimes when i exchange a smile with a absolute stranger, it fills my heart with warmth & i feel so happy that this world is such a nice place to live .:)

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  49. Anonymous2:14 AM

    I loved all the three pictures...even of you watching the movie so intently! You are very attractive!

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  50. I am smiling alright :-) It sure is infectious! Even a smiling post :)

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