The power of a smile

I've been reading in a great book lately...
It's nearly 80 years old, but the author, mr. Dale Carnegie, somehow managed to write down some everlasting truths which still apply just as they did back in the 1930s.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is an easy read, and in it mr. Carnegie writes down some facts about human interaction that are really obvious, but somehow we sometimes forget them.

I try to read a chapter every day. I first read through it quickly (like an ordinary book), and then I
go back and repeat them (with a pencil in my hand, ready to make notes and underline the important stuff).

Yesterday, I was reading about smiling. :)
The true, sincere smile which lights up our eyes, and which makes other people feel warm inside. It is so easy, and it can really change your day, and others' as well.

Try it tomorrow when you meet another person. The first person you'll probably meet, is yourself in the mirror. Do as Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) in The Last Boyscout, look yourself in the eye and say "smile you fuck". Or, just smile ;)

Just smiling alone actually gets you in a good mood. In a hospital expirement I heard about, they made ten people who suffered from depression smile for twenty minutes a couple of times daily. And their state actually changed, with no other input or stimulation. Just smiling (fake) made the brain happier, so the sincerity of the smile changed too.

If just a smile can do magic for you, imagine what it can do to another person you meet. Greet them with your warmest smile, and show them that you're happy to meet them. In doing so, you'll alter their state of mind, and they'll be glad they met you.
They'll also think warmly of you later, and they'll probably be in a better mood and feel better about themselves too. Can you achieve more in a day? :)

And another fact about smiling/laughing:
"When we laugh, endorphins (chemicals produced in the brain) are released, and those chemicals help us sense pleasurable events. when we feel good emotionally, it affects how we feel mentally and physically" (quote from ThunderGnome)

Here's some good links about smile and laughter:
Is Laughter the Best Medicine or Any Medicine at All? (Psi Chi)
Laughter is the Best Medicine (Richard G. Petty).
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Basic Summary.
.