SMITHAM …. REASONS TO SMILE

 

“You are not fully dressed until you wear a smile” These words by our father of nation carries a lot of depth and thought. 

 A smile is one of the most simple, inexpensive and wonderful things in the world. Still, often we forget about this one powerful action while we get lost in the details of today and tomorrow. Smile starts you off in the right direction and as you continue to do so it spreads from person to person. A moment, a day, a life, is transformed through the power of your smile.  Smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth and by flexing muscles throughout the mouth.  Some smiles include contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes. Among humans, it is an expression denoting pleasure, amiability, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it is known as a grimace. Smiling is something that is understood by everyone despite culture, race, or religion. Cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is a means of communication throughout the world

      Research shows that smiling is contagious. Lots havebeen written and sung about the smile .  It reminds me of S Janaki’s  famous Malayalam song from the movie Kadal  “ chirikkumbol koode chirikkan aayiram pear  varum” (when you smile thousands will come with you) and english song "When you're smilin', the whole world smiles with you." made famous by Louis Armstrong . and the romantic tamil song  “Nee sircicha Deepawali” (when you smile its deepawali ).  Well, it's true. Ever been around someone who just had something fantastic happen to him or her? Isn't it almost impossible not to feel good, too? Studies show that something as simple as seeing a friend smile can activate the muscles in your face to make that same expression, without you even being aware that you are doing it.

There are different types of smile viz  Lip smile( Smile only with their lips).Cheesy smile (Smile with their teeth )Twinkle smile ( Smile and Laugh)  Sweet smile – (Exercise their chubby cheeks) Wry smile(Dry smile)  Body smile( Smile wholeheartedly with their whole body) Gummy smile ( Dentists delight  )and of course you’ve seen the fake,  forced , wicked, sarcastic, diplomatic etc.  But some smiles have taken the world by storm and had a profound effect on people around them like the calming smile of Gautama Buddha, the peaceful smile of Mahatma Gandhi, healing smile of Mother Terasa, inspiring smile of A P J Abdul Kalam    In the tinsel world Julia Roberts  big smile is just one of the things that has made this "Pretty Woman" one of America's highest-paid and most well-known actresses. One cannot forget the surprised smile of Aishwarya Rai on being named as Miss World and of course the enigmatic smile of my favourite actor Suhasini Manirathnam .  It is said that David Beckam has the best smile among sportsmen but our own Tendulkars chubby smile is not far behind. Eventhough lots have been  written about Monolisas mysterious smile ,I am sure that all of you will agree that Sri Dhirubhai Ambanis smile is also mysterious. 

 Smiling is often perceived as a positive emotion all over the world. In America, a smile is usually regarded as a friendly gesture. In the Arab world it is seen as a gesture of trust. In our country we smile when we are embarrassed, angry, sad, confused, apologetic and (sometimes) happy .Surprisingly, there are many countries that perceive smiling as a negative expression and consider it unwelcoming. Too much smiling can be viewed as a sign of shallowness or dishonesty in China. The Japanese may smile when they are confused or angry. Many people in the Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even suspicious behavior.  If you happen to land in Korea remember there is a Korean proverb “He who smiles a lot is not a real man.”

 Smiling relieves your stress .Take a few deep breaths and smile! Smiling may help to reduce symptoms associated with anxiety. When that smile signals to your brain that you're feeling happy (even though you're not really feeling happy...yet), your body will usually slow its breathing and heart rate .Smile lights up your face as well as your outlook on the day. Smiling is one of the easiest forms of enforcing your positive outlook because even in those stressful times, if you smile, as time passes your spirits will be lifted up with the corners of your mouth.  Not only that but you can bring light and life in yourself and the people around you. 

I challenge you to crack a smile and share the light and radiance you have to bestow because ‘what goes around comes around’.